


Apples and bananas

by chocolate_crisps



Series: Fruit basket [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Awkward Dates, Awkwardness, Bilingual Lance (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Comedy, Dorks in Love, Fluff, Gay Keith (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron) is a Good Friend, Laith, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, M/M, Parental Krolia (Voltron), Romance, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), allurance onesided, bi disaster lance, bi mess, bi realisation, few of this people only makes a cameo, implied hunay, klance, set after season 7, shiro saves gay sons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-07-02 20:54:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 27,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15804393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocolate_crisps/pseuds/chocolate_crisps
Summary: Lance has always been dealing with nightmares - be it monsters in closet or purple aliens destroying Earth. He could deal with them just fine. But dreaming about romantic dates with a pretty girl that the next seconds turns into a guy? Nope! No way! Uh-uh!So what he does with it? Talk it over with one of his friend? No way he's doing that! But Shiro loves all of his children and decides to help one of them. Even if it means the strangest talk and analogy he ever had.Or Lance starts to notice the signs of playing for both teams and Shiro helps him see them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Did I just write over 10.000 words after imagining Lance doing this one scene with boxes from Alex Strangelove?  
> Apparently I did.  
> Wow...

_If you ever asked Lance if he was a romantic he would shrug with his shoulders and shyly answer 'yeah, probably' but truth be told - the guy was helpless romantic. The fact that he grew up in a house where was more women than men could play a role in it but nonetheless - Lance McClain was a helpless romantic who fall fast and love all women. The ones with long, dark hair a bit more but all were queens worth of love and he dreamed to make one of them his. He saw how his older brother - the toughest guy after Dwayne Johnson changed into the biggest softy after bringing home his future wife and later kids. Also - his sister, Rachel, made him watch all old Disney movies with princesses, making him also wish for a fairy tale like story._

_So, did he considered the warm, red sun in the horizon basking beach in its light, orange sand and smacking his bare ankles water while he chased after a girl in long, white dress to be romantic? You hella betcha he did! But would he admit it out loud? That's a question for another day._

_"Wait for me!" Lance called in a happy tone, running through a soft sand._

_The girl in front of him giggled, holding hat closer to her head while red ribbon danced at its ends. White curls contrasted with dark skin. Blue bracelets pinging on her wrists with her every step. Lance speed up to catch a girl of his dream, letting himself out a giggle too._

_"Oh, Lance! Please try to catch me!"_

_When he finally got close enough, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled closer to his chest, which resulted in both of them laying down on the sand but never stopping laughing like a pair of teenagers - which they actually, on a technical level, were. Lance reached with his hand to push aside white hair that obscured beautiful face, eager to lean down and kiss those soft lips (he didn't know if they were soft but certainly hoped so) but the moment the hair got moved the surprise that he encountered wasn't pleasant._

_First - the skin wasn't dark anymore, but more whitish with a bit of yellow in it. Oval with slightly triangle chin changed into fully triangle face with more defined cheekbones and sharper jaw. Gone were the blue markings under eyes, not to mention that said eyes changed from lovely blue with rosy pupils to purple and had way longer eyelashes than he could comprehend. And lastly - few bangs of hair that laid between thick eyebrows were straight...and black. Not to mention that those features belonged to the peculiar male well-too known to Lance._

"AAAAAUGH!" Lance sit up on his bed, waking up from his nightmare. The two slices of kiwi that he laid on his eyes fell on his sheets, hardly visible inside dark room of his Garrison apartment.  He took few deep breaths to calm down, disgusted by the feeling of sweat on his body and pajama. "HOLY Kalternecker, WHAT _WAS_ THAT?!"

"Urgh, Lance?" Hunk winced from his bed on the other end of room, rubbing his eyes with a hand - unaware of mess inside his roommate's head. "What happened?"

"N-Nothing!" Lance answered fast, an octave louder than he normally would. This made Hunk sure that the only nothing Lance had was nothing right. He heard this crack in voice often enough to know what it meant.

"Yeah, right..." was Hunk response, clearly showing from his tone of voice what he thinks about Lance's obvious lie.

"I-I'm serious!" despite already feeling that his friend knew better, Lance tried to convince him while blindly searching for the green slices of fruits.

"Hi, serious" Hunk light up the lamp on nightstand, which not only made everything visible but also helped Lance found one of his kiwis. "I'm Hunk."

"Hmpf." was Lance eloquent answer, followed by pulling cover over his head and facing wall. He ditched searching around for fruits, deciding to do this in the morning despite the fact it'll dirty his sheets and he'll ends up doing laundry. "Stop it. There are only two people allowed to do this joke and you're not one of them."

"And those are?" Hunk asked sitting up, fully awake and concerned.

" _Mi papito_ and Shiro." came muffled answer from behind covers.

"Fair enough." Hunk nodded in agreement, pulling off himself his own cover. Shiro was walking equivalent of dad's jokes no matter how many times he refused to accept it. At least once every day someone from their Team was reminding him that while he only sighed, reminding them he never adopted anyone, even Keith. "Want a cup of chocolate?" Lance's blue eye perked curiously from his cocoon.

"With cinnamon and whipped cream?"

"I can even add few marshmallows." Hunk assured his friend with a smile. The blue widened, then watered and then cover flew in the air - which hidden one loud catterpillar for a few seconds before it attacked Hunk.

"Hunk!" Lance blindly jumped at his friend bed, tackling him down to the mattress in a hug. "You're the hero I didn't knew I needed and don't deserve!"

"Yeah, I know." Hunk slapped brown backs few times. "Thanks, buddy."

 

~*~

 

"So, what was it?" Hunk asked sitting in front of him Lance, as he swallowed drink that could make anyone have diabetes. No one understood how big sweet tooth had Lance and at this point Hunk was too afraid to check.

"What do you mean?" Lance's eyes dared to the side, avoiding a worrying look that he was given. With white dot from cream on his nose and brown mustaches from chocolate he reminded Hunk about his little cousins.

"Lance, I lived with you for two years in the Garrison and three in space. I know when you have nightmares." Lance's shoulders sunk down and the look he send at his cocoa seemed lost.

"Hunk, I-"

"I won't pry" Hunk immediately stopped the self-destructing spiral that Lance was ready to unleash. "but you should know that I'm here if you need me. I'll listen to anything you have to say."

"Thanks, buddy." Lance send him small smile, only a one percent of the ones he had everyday but still a progress for their evening.

"We both went through a lot, you know? War and aliens' stuff."

"Yeah, you're right."

"We're teens. We should be worrying about our pimples and getting girl for a prom."

"...yeah, a girl."

"But we were piloting sentient, lion-shaped ships in the intergalactic war. That sure leave mark on person. I won't be surprised if one day they'll diagnose us with some sort of PTSD or something." Hunk sipped his chocolate, this one free of all extras. "Maybe we should ask Shiro to hung out with us? You know, like one soldier with another?"

"Meh, let him sleep." Lance waved with his hand dismissively. "Guy deserves a nap. No need to wake him up because I dreamed about Kei-I mean! About Allu-I mean!" Lance coughed. Hunk new this cough as well. Lance always was doing this whenever he tried to hide something embarrassing - like when his sister told Hunk how Lance dreamed about becoming princess when he was little.

"Lance?"

"Whoa, look at the time!" Lance pulled wrist closer to his eyes as if he was checking the invisible watch on it. "We should totally head back to the beds, like, now. Night, Hunk!" and with that Lance sprinted back to the bedroom, leaving Hunk hanging and contemplating what did he just witness.

"What the quiznak was that?"

And, as he sipped more of his choco, he did what he did best - analyzed the situation, words and searched for the best solution.

_Okay, what does we have here? Lance had a nightmare, so bizarre that it woke him up at 2 am. He doesn't want to talk about it, which is fair. Not everyone likes to share their fears, but he's doing it because he feels embarrassed about it. What could possibly make Lance embarrassed enough to run to a bed? Leaving hot chocolate on the table with all possible extras? Key? Allu? Kei? Wait..._

"Oh. Oh, my God." escaped from Hunk's mouth as realization hit him. "Lance is embarrassed to admit that he's missed Keith. That or he was making out with him and Allura." Hunk face screwed as unwelcomed image knocked at the doors of his imagination. "Ugh!"

He also left his cup on a table. The image was too much for him to comprehend.

 

~*~

 

"We have fruits today, sweet!" Lance exclaimed as he, together with Hunk, reached the end of queue. "What do you want?"

"Apple." Hunk answered, taking said fruit from Lance's hand. His friend, however, put on his tray both fruits available for this day which were apples and bananas. "You take two?"

"You never know when we'll be given them again." Lance send him a theatrical smile, full of teeth. "Must salvage."

"Yeah, right."

"Hunk! Lance!" Pidge voice reached them from the other end of cafeteria. Little girl stood on a table, waving with her short arms to get their attention ignoring all the looks and murmurs that other soldiers were sending them. "Over here!"

Two boys as well also ignored other officers and James Griffin look of disappointment/irritation to reach their table. Funny enough it was the same table that they used back in the days, only now more people accompanied them during lunch.

"How long you could possibly debate over food?" Pidge groaned as she jumped off the table. Shiro simply rolled with his eyes like a tired parent. Keith didn't even looked their way, continuing stabbing his eggs like they personally hurt him. On his left Allura stared at her meal, which was composed of everything that shouldn't be put together, but no one had a heart to tell her so.

"Pidge, food is a sacred part of our society." Hunk slid into a chair next to the girl. "We are lost as civilization if we won't accept it."

"Oh my!" Allura exclaimed loudly, putting down her spoon of rice. They had theory she only chose this because it reminded her of food goo. "How can Earthling eat _this_?"

"You need to add some sort of sauce to it." Keith provided over his own fork of scrambled eggs. Both Lance and Hunk gasped loudly and dramatically at this statement. Loud enough to catch attention of nearby faculty members, who at this point slowly were reaching a new level of done.

"You heathen!" Hunk grasped front of his own shirt, pretending to have a heart attack.

"Yeah, who does that?" Pidge asked, biting her toast full of peanut butter. Lance wrinkled his nose at her taste but said nothing.

"Shiro." Keith explained simply looking over table at their former leader. The rest of the team in one second followed his gaze at the person in question. Shiro only lowered his cup of coffee and shrugged with his shoulders, which looked strange if you remembered that one of his arm was floating in the air.

"Guilty as charged."

"What?!"

"No way!"

"That's true."

"If it helps" Shiro send Keith one of his 'I'm disappointed in you, son' look before picking up. Lance smirked seeing how small Keith seamed under this gaze. "Adam could make al dente like no one but was an awful cook when it came to the rice. It was the only way to make it edible."

"Says the guy who burned even water." mumbled Keith, which gained him another look of disapproval and few snickers, the loudest belonging to Lance.

"Who's Adam?" Allura asked tilting her head, for a second forgetting about her meal that after long selection left on her tray only jelly and banana. "I do not recall any of you mentioning this name before."

Shiro stiffed for her words, looking down at his coffee. The pain of memories and strength of words capable of answering her evident in his eyes and fingers clenched on a cup. Keith was the only one to pick it up, so he did the only thing he could came up with, and that was creating a distraction. And nothing worked better for that than Lance.

"Lance, those fruits were for everyone." Keith stabbed with the other end of fork apple on Lance's tray. Boy only send him side glare, disgusted by having his food defied. "Why did you take two?"

"Oh, come on! Not you too." Lance complained while rolling with his eyes and avoiding eye contact as much as possible.

"At least give one to Pidge." Keith tried to smack sitting next to him boy in the knee cap but missed drastically and only hit his chair. This caused Lance to almost fell of, if he didn't caught Hunk and edge of the table in time.

"But I refuse!" called dramatically girl while putting peanut butter on the next toast, even more than she had on a previous one. This time it was Keith whose nose wrinkled. "I don't like fruits. Also, did anyone catch the reference?"

Keith only sighted before reaching for his own apple. Allura did the same, picking up her banana while holding it with both hands on each side. Paladins looked at her shocked but at the same time interested of what their princess was trying to achieve. Their expectation ended when she bit down banana, still covered in peel, right in the middle.

"Ugh" she took a napkin and covered her mouth. "Pidge said that elephants likes bananas, but it seam that they are not as good as I initially thought."

"Princess..." Shiro started and stopped, not sure how to explain to actual Princess and leader of the Space Coalition, who happened to be over ten thousand years old, that she just wrongly ate banana.

"Allura, the light of my life" Lance picked up, earning eye roll from three people, tired gaze and a snort. "you need to peel it off first."

"Hmm?" Princess tilted her head, sending confused look toward Hunk or rather remnants of his apple. "But Hunk did not peel it."

"That's because he had an apple." Lance explained, waving with his hands toward Hunk. "You don't need to peel them off." Lance pointed with his thumb towards Keith. "Even Keith doesn't do it."

"Whoa, thanks for a compliment." came dry answer.

"My pleasure" Lance half-bowed theatrically towards him. "You lived in that shack of yours. You could pick up the weirdest manners, but you still eat apples like a human being."

"I'm used to it. My dad always gave me them like this." admitted shyly Keith, looking to the side. Shiro observed this side of him with amusement typical for older brothers, while chewing banana.

"But, Lance" Allura tilted her head to the side with confused look "you were peeling them off yesterday." she pointed out.

"Those were for my nephew. He doesn't like peels." Lance explained with a shrug and Allura sighted with exasperation.

"I don't understand Earth's fruit." she send deadly glare towards her tray, one that could compete with the look she gave towards enemy's ships. "Once you peal them, once not. Can't they just decide?!"

"Ups, she got angry." no one needed to point out the obvious, but Hunk had bad habit of doing it whenever he felt stressed out.

"There." Lance took banana from Allura's hands and peeled it off before giving it back. "And try some of this!" two pancakes from his tray ended on a plate in front of Allura, while she send suspicious look at them. "You need to try actual good, Earth food. Hunk" Lance wrapped arm around his friend shoulder. "would you mind a Cooking Party in our room?"

"You know me, Lance." Hunk also put his arm around Lance, pulling him closer. "I'm always down for that."

"Tfu." Hunk looked to the side to Keith who just spitted out his apple. "Ah, sorry. It just tastes awful. I should've taken banana."

"I hope that you won't activate fire alarm this time." Pidge said in reprimanding tone, but you could clearly hear the amusement lurking there.

"I hope so too." added Shiro and his voice actually held reprimanding tone that caused four people to shrug in themselves. A true reprimand of a dad, no less.

~*~

_In front of Lance was big tree, one of this that you normally see only on a paintings in children's books or old animated movies that his one-year older sister loved. Scenery surrounding him was full of magnificent green and brown, with blue sky above head. Sitting on his shoulders girl giggled as she reached her hand up, trying to catch dangling from a branch apple. Red fruit was lose enough to touch her fingers, but too far to actually grab it._

_"Careful, Princess" Lance purred towards girl "I'm holding my world here, don't try to push it to the ground."_

_Girl only laughed softly, and the sound of it was like sing of a thousands of silver bells. With a bit more force she finally snatched the fruit and squealed with happiness. Her white curls danced around Lance face, inching him, as she slipped of his shoulders. She laughed again but this time it sounded different - it was a lot lower and raspy, but at the same time shy, like the owner wasn't used to such activity. Lance noticed that an apple in her hand changed to a banana. He wasn't even surprised when she turned around and looked at him with big, purple eyes encircled with ridiculously long eyelashes. The true moment of surprise came when said face got closer to him, almost brushing his lips when-_

 

"Whoa!" Lance yelled as he sat up on a couch that he took a nap on. His niece was hugging his leg in her sleep while gripping storybook in one tiny hand. He smiled and reached with his hand to pet her hair.

"Lance!" his older brother showed in the entrance, sending him smirk before looking at his daughter. "Thanks for taking care of her."

" _No problema_." answered Lance and, despite his best efforts, his mouth opened widely due to yawn.

"Careful, little brother" Marco snatched Nadia from Lance legs, delicately placing her in his arms. "or you'll eat us all."

"Haha" Lance rolled with his eyes not really irritated at his brother's jibe. "Very funny, Marco."

"By the way, you look like a chewed dog's toy."

"Ge, thanks."

"What's going on?"

Marco was the oldest of them, always worried about his little siblings - no matter how old they were. Sometimes it irritated Lance - especially when he was twelve and was going through his rebellious phase (by the way - his favorite jibe at Keith was that the guy didn't leaved his and still was blasting Linking Park or My Chemical Romance whenever he got angry and shut his room, yelling that no one understand him) but he understood that just came in packet of being the oldest sibling - just like being little, annoying shit that pulled pranks on everyone was his as the youngest one.

"You can tell me. I won't make fun of you." Marco smirked, it was a trait that all McClain seemed to share. "Unless it's again something like writing 'will u date me?' under Rosie Catchella windows but getting wrong address and doing it in front of Richie Reynolds." He laughed, even when Lance smacked him with the pillow. "Then, of course, I'll laugh."

"Ugh, you're the worst!" Lance stated and hugged to his face the pillow that he was using to smack his brother with. "I hate you."

"Love ya too, little brother."

"What's the noise?" another of his sibling picked into the room. Lance didn't need to take the pillow of his eyes to know that it was Rachel - his one-year older sister - so he continued to suffocate himself. "Lance, are you trying to suffocate yourself with a pillow, again?!"

"What do you mean by 'again'?" Marco send confused look at girl's words. She only blinked and shrugged with her shoulders.

"Whenever he had problem with his crushes he would eventually lay on a couch and do this for all day till _Project Runaway_ would start."

"Because" Lace lowered his pillow enough to send a glare towards his sister. "you were always pushing me off, so you and Veronica could watch it."

"Why _I_ don't know about it?!" Rachel rolled with her eyes for their older brother outburst but laughed inside as she saw him struggle to keep little girl in his arms still asleep despite his yelling. This was one of many times when she wondered how they were related and why her brothers looked up to him so much. "I'm the oldest!" he winced in a whisper-scream while cradling his daughter. Rachel only exhaled air through nose, like the answer was the most obvious thing.

"You were either studying for a test. _Or_ your girlfriend."

"...Point taken, Ray." admitted sheepishly after a second Marco with flushed cheeks. Lance groaned internally, realizing that his childhood hero acts as a twelve years old brat with first crush whenever his wife is, even slightly, mentioned. Damn him and his irritatingly sweet love story.

"So" Rachel sat on the floor near Lance head. Her manicured purple nail poked Lance's ear. "what did pretty alien Princess did?"

"Nothing, I swear!" Lance curled and turned his back at two siblings. "It has nothing to do with Allura." he hissed, hoping to scare with this them off. Unfortunately - all older siblings have no care for wuss of younger ones, seeing them more as hissing little kittens. In shorts - there was no way for Lance to get off the hook.

"Lance, tell me what's going on or I'll show everyone on your team how you were parading around our neighborhood on Hallowen when you were ten." Lance looked at his sister and a glare that he send her would scare off many Galra troops but on her? She didn't even flinch. As already was stated - older siblings aren't scared of their younger ones. Never.

You see, the thing is Lance loved to be in the spotlight, but not the spotlight of his problems and struggles. He never wanted anyone from his family to notice his bad mood or worries so he learned to cover them with a smile, changing topics or acting in over exaggerated way to cover its true significance. It worked on his older brothers but Rachel, having so little gape of age, was able to see through it with almost no problems. And just like Pidge, kept all sort of blackmail on her siblings to make them spill a beans or do her a favor. Lance was doing everything in his power to prevent her and Pidge from meeting. He could fight with his sister with the same weapon but Pidge? On her, he had nothing.

"Fine, just don't laugh. Gez." Lance winced, sitting up on a couch but not letting the pillow go - still held closely to his chest. "I have nightmares, okay?! Happy?"

"Oh..." escaped from her mouths before she could even stop it. It were a moments like this, when they all were bickering, that it was easy to forget that Lance presence was missing, especially since he was always trying to have all spotlight on himself. She put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed with reassurance. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be such a butthole."

"Thanks for keeping tongue in check." Marco nodded and followed her suit by grabbing Lance's elbow, the other lulling his child. "Lance, it's nothing to be ashamed of. I can't imagine what you went through and, I know it'll make me sound like a total jerk, I don't want to. Just remember that if you ever need help - we are here. Your friends too."

"Thanks, Marco." Lance send him a grin. He didn't have a heart, or rather he didn't had a courage to tell his siblings that his dreams had nothing to do with intergalactic war but him feeling confused by Allura and her actions. Still, there is one thing he always missed in space and was going to use every occasion to get it. "Can I get a hug?"

"Always!" the two of them proclaimed while keeping him inside safety of their arms. Rachel's arms wrapped around his shoulders with her head on one of his shoulders while Marco put an arm around him to reach his back, still holding his daughter with the other. Despite everything Lance smiled, again feeling like he was ten and his brother hugged him while he cried from having his knees badly scratched. He flinched for a second when an image of Keith's face danced in his mind but like anything unpleasant in his life he pushed it away and relaxed in safety of his family.

No one knew that Shiro was passing by in the hallway and heard the whole talk.

 

~*~

 

_This one dream started pleasantly. Lance was sparing with Keith, he didn't knew were but it kinda looked like some sort of desert with the whole sand around. Their feet were jumping at even pace, their arms were swinging blocking the other. He didn't know how long they were at it but suddenly he was able to knock away Keith's sword. It flew in the air before ending few meters away in the sand._

_"Congratulations, Lance." Keith said, while bowing in a way that Lance loved to use on girls he was hitting on. "You have a way with a sword."_

_"Ya betcha!" Lance sing-sang while swinging his sword around pointing finger. "It is me, Lance McClain, who achieved victory!"_

_"You can win with me" Keith got closer, leaning forward so that he was whispering into Lance's ear. "But can you beat yourself?" Keith pulled away, enough to let Lance see his surroundings and it was third the most creepy thing he ever witnessed. All around them were copies of Lance - some younger, some his age and each in different outfit._

 

_"I'm worthless."_

_"I don't have a thing."_

_"I'm replaceable."_

_"I'm just a worst copy of Keith!"_

_"I can do nothing for my team!"_

_"Allura doesn't even like me."_

_"I'm just a boy from Cuba."_

_"My siblings are wiser from me."_

_"My dad expects nothing from me."_

_"Why try when Keith always going to be better."_

 

_"...ut up." Lance whispered, feeling his grip on a sword leasing before it hit the sand with a thump. Keith walked around him with a smirk.  
_

_"Hmm? Did you say something?" Keith leaned comedically to the side with hand next to his ear. "I couldn' hear ya~"  
_

_"Shut up..."  Lance said once again, louder. Keith thick eyebrows traveled up his forehead, under the bangs.  
_

_"What?" he asked again in a mocking way.  
_

_"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Lance yelled, which caused all of his clones to disappeared. His knees gave out, his breath got erratic and Keith was standing above him with a cruel smile. Just like back in the Garrison. "It's not like that. I don't feel like that."_

_"Is it?" Keith tilted his head the side as he slowly circled his way around Lance. "You have nothing that you call yours. Everything you ever gained was because I let you."_

_"That's not true."_

_"Really? And who felt whole only when he became an arm? Who felt meaningful because he could co-lead Voltron? Who got happy when Allura congratulated him on having sword?"  
_

_"Shut up..."_

_"Your marks at school, Red, sword..."_

_"Shut up..."_

_"You own me everything and yet" Keith stopped, his white shoes in front of Lance. "you refuse to acknowledge this. But that's not the worst. You know what is?" Keith got down on one knee. Lance risked looking at him and noticed familiar pink markings as well as tortoise eyes with pink pupils. "That you keep lying to yourself and denying everything._

 

Lance woke up with a sweat in every nook of his body and couldn't even answer which dreams scared him more, but was sure that both types were equally draining his energy out. "What sort of reverse psychology was that?"

"I don't know. Will you tell me more?"

Lance jumped almost to the ceiling at familiar voice coming from armchair next to the sofa he was napping on. Shiro was sitting there in his tank top, drinking coffee from a mug with 'Best Captain' written on it, the same that he always complain about. Lance once took Coran on a shopping and this mug was a result. Shiro secretly loved it but would never admit it out loud.

"Sh-Sh-Sshiro!" Lance stuttered their previous leader name, trying to compose himself. It hardly worked, because nervous laughter escaped his throat despite best efforts. "Hahaha. Haha. Wha-What are you doing here?" Lance's eyes darted to a clock showing 01:08 on display. "In the middle of the night. With a coffee."

"I'm sorry, I overheard your conversation with your siblings."

"Oh."

"I wasn't going to intervene until you were ready to talk about it...but I just saw you here and couldn't help myself. So" Shiro took deep breath and send Lance his sharpest gaze "Lance McClain, tell me what's going on."

"Shiro, It's noth-"

"Think your next answer or-" Shiro took out his phone, letting Lance see what was on a display. "I'll send this to your siblings _and_ mother." Shiro pressed play button and Lance's drunk voice filled the room.

_"I'm the cutest, little angel send from above and I know just how to swing! - Hunk come on! - I got a bright lil' hello - sing with me! Everyone! - and filled with love *pop* I'm La-ance Mc-Clain!"_

"..." For a solid second Lance didn't move because - first - Shiro apparently knew how to blackmail people, second - Pidge was a liar and send somebody how their adventure with alien soda ended (fun fact - few aliens sodas have the same effect on humans as alcohol, as this video proves) which lead to third - Lance's mother will beat him up with a towel if she founds out rest of this video! "Um, ehm, well, you see-"

"I never knew how much you love musicals. Matt and you would get along well..."

_"I'm a hit of a party, I'm belle of a party, I'm toast of e-eve-ry town! - Hit the bass, Pidge! - *pop* I'm La-ance-where's my quiznaking soda?! - McClain!"_

"Turn it off, Shiro..." the beaten tone that Lance used and knees pulled to the chest in surrender reminded Shiro so much about his beginnings with Keith, that he stopped the video and sit next to Lance on the couch. Despite everything this two were strangely similar.

"Lance, I'm-"

"It's just...You don't have to...worry this much. About me."

"Lance" artificial arm landed on Lance's arm, causing him to look at Shiro with only a little hesitation. "I care about all of you. We are in this together, right? Big, dysfunctional alien family, remember?"

"I'm suing you for plagiarism." joked Lance, a bit of light in his voice but his body was still tense. Under Shiro's worrying eyes he finally broke down. You can't lead your parent (or parental figure) astray for too long. "I just...don't think that I'm worth having place in the team. That's just all. And my dreams remind me about it."

 _Okay,_ few _of them. Not_ all _, but enough to make it a lie so, on_ technical _level, I'm honest to Shiro._

"And why you would think so? We wouldn't keep you around if you were useless."

"Did I ever tell you why I made Keith my rival?" Lance sudden change of topic surprised Shiro but he didn't pushed. Adam was Garrison psychologist for a short time and taught Shiro how important it's to let person speak without interrupting. It can lead to the bottom of problems or give a clue to answering it.

"No."

"Of course not. Even Hunk doesn't know." he scratched his cheek in some mixture of embarrassment and nostalgia and no, Shiro doesn't know how it was possible. "On the first day of garrison they told us to stay in our room past nine. I thought it was stupid, so I sneaked out to check out the area." Lance giggled, sinking in the memories of his younger self and adrenaline buzzing through his veins. "I somehow got to the control room. You know, where all the camera and cool, spy stuff is. On one of monitors I saw you so I glued my eyes there. You were talking with someone but I couldn' see who. Then Keith flashed and jumped into the simulator. I was curious, you know. Not many talked with Commander Shirogane, much less our age. And then he flew. He flew in that simulator like a pro. He was so cool. I instantly wanted to be friend with this cool kid. But no matter what I did, he pushed me away or ignored."

"Yeah, he had tendencies to do that..."

"It made me sure that he's just snotty brat who thinks he's better than us. He only really kinda talked with Griffin and the guy hated his guts. So, I decided to became the best. To push him off that throne, that I was so sure he was sitting on, to show him that I'm way better and worth of attention. Because you can't ignore McClains!" Shiro giggled, hearing about the begging of their friendship. "I know it's stupid, but hey! I was just a stupid brat and it seamed as a good idea back then. But then the space thing happened and all. And honestly, I don't know where I am in all of this anymore."

"I don't get it?"

"Hunk was always my buddy and Pidge was an awkward third wheel that didn't even wanted to be there. Keith was my rival. Allura was a girl that I liked but would never date me. You were, you know, believed to be dead due to the accident." Lance sighed, pulling his knees closer and putting his cheek on top of them. "Now, Hunk and Pidge are besties and I'm doing for the third wheel. Allura kinda likes me back, I think? You came back to life - literally. And Keith? I know we aren't fighting anymore but...he's pulling away again. If he leaves again, our team may not survive this time. What an idiot!" Lance barked the last sentence under his breath, knitting his eyebrows with anger. "Leave or stay. Don't go half-way, dumb Mullet."

"Just talk with them." Lance's eyebrows lifted and his facial expression reminded Shiro of puppies that lost their owner. "Allura, Keith, Hunk - they won't know how you feel until you tell them."

"Yeah, right." despite his words, Lance still sounded dismissive. Shiro was ready push the matter but didn't predicted that there is one thing that all younger siblings excel at - and that is quick change of topic. His only warning was light in Lance's eyes when new idea struck his mind. "Shiro, you are adult."

"Um, yes? Been for the last ten years, thanks for noticing."

"No, no, no! I mean, you're older! From me! You must have some love experience! Tell me about it!"

Shiro curled inside because the only things that he sucks at were cooking and relationships. Adam aside, his earlier boyfriends also weren't the best thing to brag about especially with team's number one romantic.

"How to be sure the girl likes you?"

"I don't know."

"Shiro~"

"I'm gay, Lance."

"Oh. Okay. Wait, what?! For real?!"

"Yeah, for real."

"How did you know?"

"It just, didn't felt right kissing girls but it worked out with guys."

"Oh, wow. I didn't expected that." Lance cleared his throat awkwardly before changing his sentence to more proper one. "So, how do you know that _someone_ likes you back, then?"

"Watch them from the other end of cafeteria for three months until he takes pity on you and ask you out." deadpanned Shiro, sipping his coffee with irritation. As already stated - love wasn't the best topic to discuss with him in one room. Especially when the other party was idealistic teenager.

"Oh. MY. God" Lance groaned while facepalming, accenting every word with shake of head. "You're disaster. Pining isn't answer!"

"Explain it to Keith." Shiro rolled with his eyes as the old memory danced in his mind. Lance looked at him with curious and mischievous, which make it impossible for Shiro to decline him a story. "He was after Adam's cousin for the whole summer with this plan in mind."

"Oh, man." Lance giggled, for the first time in long period with honestly. "He's such an idiot."

His face lit up, goofy smile welcomed his lips and eyebrows uplifted just like when he used to flirt with Allura and that send an alarm in Shiro's brain. He saw this expression before.  A bit happier but it still qualified as 'a dorky crush face' how Adam described it when Keith first saw his cousin - Leo. Before it was only a hunch but now Shiro was sure - Lance McClain, the biggest Casanova in knows universe, had a sexuality crisis. And the reason was Keith Kogane - the most oblivious and socially awkward teenager, who technically wasn't a teenager anymore, walking gay disaster and his little brother. At this moment Shiro wished that his coffee had some brandy or vodka inside. Or both.

_Blue eyes and dark hair. And you're trying to tell me that you don't have a type Keith..._

"Thanks for talking with me, Shiro." Lance stood up from couch. "It actually helped, a little. I feel better."

"Glad to hear that."

"Gonna hit my room now. I bet that Hunk's worried." he waved with his hand as he walked out the room. "Night."

"Goodnight." Shiro sunk lower on the couch, looking up at the stars visible through glass ceiling. "What do you think? How long it'll take him to figure it out?" he laughed before stopping it abruptly when his throat tightens. "You were good at Talks, Adam. I bet you would help Lance better than me..."

~*~

The Cooking Party went as you can expect - full of fun, cooking and mess. Don't get it wrong, Hunk loved all his friends like a second family but seeing in close their struggle made him realize how much of cooking heathens they are. Shiro was an adult but he still was capable of burning everything, even water they set up for a tea. Keith was a master of throwing with knifes but give him one and order to cut something that's not Galra soldier? You keep wondering how he survived alone for a year in a shack. Lance was decent, he knew how to use spoons and mixer. Pidge only sat on the counter, taking photo to later blackmail them all. At one-point Romelle sneaked in and once again proved why Hunk liked her so much - because girl sure could cook, even if she couldn't tell most of ingredients and spices. Coran just danced from one person to the other taking notes. Hunk was grateful, still remembering their first meals in the Castle.

Yet, there was still something off and Hunk didn't realize it until Shiro voiced it out - and that was the fact that Keith and Lance just broke their record of not snapping at one another by two minutes straight. When this sentence sank in Hunk also noticed shy, flirting attempts of Lance towards Allura. Which was strange because Lance would never go after a girl whose heart just got broken. Not to mention that Keith looked annoyed and this time it definitely wasn't what Lance did but rather what he didn't - which was arguing over cake flavor. And everyone knew that, no matter how much he would refuse to agree, Keith liked to banter with Lance. Even Krolia admitted so, and she was his mother.

"Suspicious..." Hunk mumbled as he eyed his friends.

"What's suspicious?" Pidge asked, wangling with her legs in the air while uploading new content on their social media page dedicated to Paladins. Currently they had 27,000 followers from Earth and 19 millions from space.

"Well, first of all - our loud duo is strangely silent today." Hunk leaned against counter next to Pidge. "Second - Lance is making moves at Allura but not really making them."

"What?"

"No, Allura." Lance stood next to the Princess steering sugar and flour with a fork. He gently took utensil from her hand and replaced it with a spoon. Allura send him questioning look, somehow ignoring the fact that her face, hair and clothes were covered in white powder. "Those are dry things, spoon is better than fork."

"Thank you, Lance."

"No problem, my lovely." he send her a wink and finger guns before returning to his own bowl. "Always at your service."

"...okay, I got it." Pidge admitted putting down her phone. "He's sick. Or was abducted by aliens and replaced." they both laughed uncontrollably.

"By an evil clone?"

"Yeah..." they laugh hold when they realized who's voice it was. Their eyes looked awkwardly to the side where Shiro, apparently, stood. No one noticed how he got there. "Shiro!"

"I think I know what's going on with Lance." Shiro said simply, observing how Coran slipped on the floor and bumped into Lance. "I bet in few more days you'll know too." Lance lost his balance for a second and bumped into Romelle which send the bowl she was holding on a short flight that ended on Keith's head. Pidge snapped a photo a second before he teared it off and jumped at Lance. "I went through it with Keith."

Pidge eyes enlarged as she got what was said here and she giggled like a little gremlin that she was. Hunk eyes traveled from one friend to the other, not getting the full picture. He got a bit more when he spotted Pidge's message to Matt.

**_Me:_ **

_Crack trash i need help_

_rewrite with me there right there_

**_Walking vine:_ **

_Pidge it's gay or european_

_it's classic_

_what do u want to change?_

**_Me:_ **

_make it gay or cuban_

 

_~*~_

 

Hunk was living with Lance long enough to get used to his mood swings and weird habits. He was there when the guy had his phase for pin up girls, when he cried that his favorite band disband, when people where picking up on him for being reduced to a cargo pilot and when his first, true girlfriend dumped him. He witnessed so much of Lance McClain that him running in circles in their shared room, picking different clothes, that didn't hold much difference between each other, and checking his hair every time he passed any surface that would pass as a mirror was nothing. It was an usual that wasn't even worth eye-roll.

"Hitting city, huh?"

"I'm having a 'let's settle this for one and for all' meeting with Allura."

And that was what made Hunk sit up, because it sounded suspiciously close to a date and their Princess wasn't that much interested in Lance till Lotor disappeared in Quintesence field. Hunk only hoped that Lance was still the guy who he knew and wasn't after a girl with a broken heart. That would be uncool.

"You're not...talking advantage of her, do you?"

"..."

"Lance..."

"I just...want to move on." Lance flinched the end of his blue shirt. "When I saw her with Lotor, I don't know. It hit me that she'll never see me like this. And it hurt. So I pushed it aside prepared to deal with it later. But now I'm getting so many mixed signals...I don't know what to think anymore, buddy. My head is a mess." Lance grabbed his hair and pulled in anger, before releasing them with a huff. "I want it to be true, but I'm kinda feeling that it can't be. I have to make it all clear.

"Good luck." Hunk relaxed more, before providing his usual line to send off Lance. "She'll probably dump you, but I'll always be here with arm that you can cry on."

"Shut up."

"Huh?"

"I'm pouring my heart here" Lance turned to his friend, sending angry gaze that wasn't playful like always when Hunk was saying this. "and that's how you pay me?! Thanks, oh great panty collector. All aliens girl were after you so you can change them however you want, but I was only after Allura and I'm about to be dumped or accepted. Thanks-for-your-concern."

"Lance, you're overreacting. And I wasn't after any girl..."

"What about Shay, huh? And Romelle? And a bunch of rebels?"

"Okay, Romelle is a good friend, that's all. And I don't know anything about this rebels you're talking about."

"Aha!" Brown finger entered Hunk vision as Lance directed it at him in victorious manner. "You're not denying Shay!"

"Few mermaids were after you too, Lance." Hunk reminded him with calm voice hiding, as much as he could, blush spreading on his face and neck. "If you wanted, you would simply came back there and by now have a cute, mermaid baby with brown hair and blue eyes. You're just afraid to go for it. Pretty coward for a romantic."

"That's not-"

"Then, tell me - why you stopped flirting with Allura the moment Shiro went missing?" Hunk send side glare towards Lance, observing carefully his reaction. "You had so many occasions but you didn't do it even once!"

"...you're right. I didn't. Why?" Lance eyes traveled up, like always when he was searching for an answer. "I think, I was too caught up with helping Keith leading Voltron that I forgot to do it."

_Lance? Forgetting about hitting on something remotely female? He was doing it even when he had fever and 40 degrees! There's no way that's the reason! Gosh, Pidge was right. Lance, you got it hard on a guy. And I was sure it was just a simple high school crush._

"Whatever, which one you like more?" Lance took two shirts - one red and one in similar blue he was already wearing.

"Lance, you're already wearing blue."

"Heathen! That's sky blue and this is lake's blue!"

"Whatever..."

~*~

 

Only few things in this word were capable of stopping Keith Kogane and those were Shiro, Lance (despite him hating to admit that), his mom (this one actually make him happy), police department sitting on his tail (he had awful rebellious phase) and rain when he was out driving his old bike that by miracle survived Galra invasion. It was refreshing and nostalgic at the same to ride up and down the familiar mountains and canyons, but when he spotted dark clouds on the horizon he knew it was time to head back. He waved few officers that he passed, parking in garrison garage despite everyone's complains ("Those are so called Paladins of Voltron?! They act worse than kindergarten children!"). The only thing he needed now was a shower and a snack. Maybe Hunk still have some of this cherry pie they made (Keith wanted apricot one but the idea of bickering with Lance while he flirted with Allura made him nauseous, so he declined).

Leaving the garage Keith spotted two figures getting closer to the main entrance. He stopped in his track to look at them, not knowing exactly why he did it, until he recognized that those were Lance and Allura, walking together while holding each other's arms. Keith's breath hitched for a second, but with a quick shook of head his shock was gone. That was okay. He knew it was bond to happen. He saw it when he was traveling through the Quantum Abyss. Everything's alright.

"Are you going to cry?" Keith looked behind to spot the source of voice. James was leaning against one of cars with his arms crossed.

"Not your business."

"Bite-y as always."

"Look, James" Keith send glare towards the spectator of his teenage drama show. "If you don't have anything of worth to tell then be quiet."

"Because you want to be alone. I get it." the boy put his hands in the pocket and leaved garage, bumping his shoulder with Keith. "Just surprised you're not going after him. Where is the famous 'do or die, go down biting and punching" person that was with me in the class?"

Keith didn't say a thing. Not only was it hard to explain glimpses of future he saw in Quantum abyss, but he also wasn't going to get closer to a person that wasn't even considering him a friend. No matter how many bonding exercises they went through - Lance never would see him as more than Leader of the Team. It was hard to swallow truth but a one that he had to accept. Live was unfair, Keith learned it first hand - and this situation was just one more example of this. Nothing to dwell on.

Despite his efforts, a single tear run down his cheek.

_Even through I knew it would end like this, it's still hurts to see..._

 ~*~

Lance twirled Allura around one more time before letting her go and going back to his room. No one welcomed him inside - only note from Hunk left on the table to explain his absence.

 

_Went out with my parents and Shay._

_Be back at 9_

_Tell me everything when I'm back,_

_Hunk_

 

Lance let the air free from his lungs before he leaned against door for a support - glad to be alone in this moment. He clenched his teeth, not wanting to let any sound out while tears streamed down. The shirt he finally decided to wear now wet, not worth of saving - just like his feeling for Allura. His heart was broken one more time. He had experience. He was familiar with the way it hurts, the feeling of shattered scrapes of mirror sticking in his chest and at the same time ripping it apart. It was just another situation of girl not liking him. Nothing new in his life. No one ever liked him that way anyway.

And this time it only hurt more, because the girl wasn't a complete stranger. It was Allura - Princess of Altea, but also a Paladin of Blue Lion, wonderful leader in battle, great teacher of fencing and former lover of face masks. She became a close friend, like the rest of a team - and that was his downfall.

"Maybe I am the dumb one. No one with more than two brain cells would dream to have Allura love him." Lance's legs eventually gave out, leaving him sitting alone in the room and crying his pain out.

_I was ready to let go. I told myself so. But made myself hoping because of Veronica's stupid comment._

A mixture of laugh and cry left his throat before more tears flowed.

"I truly am the dumb one."

This time no one passed through corridor to hear it.

~*~

The next few days atmosphere on Paladins table was at least tense to describe it. Lance and Allura weren't looking at each other and searched for opportunity to not talk with the other. Keith always was silent but now it looked more like he was feeling out of place among them, not to mention black circles under his eyes. Hunk was trying his best to brighten up the atmosphere, yet still was awkward after witnessing Lance falling asleep with red from crying eyes. Pidge knew next to nothing when it came to resolving this sort of situation so she simply sat there, eating her toasts with peanut butter. Shiro knew what was going on, or at least had a feeling, but decided to step back - afraid to make situation between Paladins worse.

It wasn't until week after unfortunate case of Allura and Lance, that Hunk went to Shiro's room with no plan in mind but full of resolve. That resolve almost died when he actually found himself in front of doors to said room. His hand trembled under the letters _Shirogane T._ _-_ too afraid to move the last few centimeters and knock. Lucky for him or not, Shiro opened a door before Hunk could make up his mind.

"Hunk, you're standing there since the last fifteen minutes. Unless you're appreciating wonderful form of this door I'm going to assume that you came here to talk with me."

"I-I'm not!" Hunk pulled his hands out in defending gesture. "Of course I could, this door are wonderful! I mean! Have you seen this lock?! Great mixture of Altean technology and Earth design! Not to mention-"

"Hunk!" Shiro silently scolded rumbling boy, somehow doing it without any ill motives in his tone. A true dad, indeed. "Please, stop rumbling and say what's going on."

"Lance." Hunk simply answered, lowering his head. "He's depressed. And I can't help him." Hunk gritted his teeth so hard it send pain throughout his whole face. "I feel useless. I mean - what's worth a friend that can't even cheer you up when you're down."

"Hunk..."

"It makes me sick, Shiro!" Hunk almost yelled in the face of standing in front of him man but settled his eyes on his shoes, desperate to keep face in check. The last thing he wanted was to let Shiro see his broken expression. Tears finally fell from his eyes, landing next to his brown shoes smeared in oil - leftovers of his experiment with Pidge.

"Hunk" Shiro started, his voice in not much better condition. "I understand, but I can't help Lance. He has to went through it alone and the only thing we could do is be nearby and show him how much we love him."

"But-!"

"That's the only way."

"Hunk? Shiro?" two men turned to the side to spot Keith, getting back to his room after another ride on his bike that he wasn't allowed to do. Hunk must admit that seeing their current leader in leather jacket and googles on top of head was a strange phenomenon after getting used to his crop jacket and white shoes. "What happened?" he asked and anyone could tell how fear and concern were quick to rise inside him.

"It's Lance." Hunk admitted, holding his arm in resigned way. "Since Allura dumped him he's not acting like himself. I don't know what to do anymore."

"They broke up?"

Hunk needed a moment to adjust to the situation, because of course he forgot that Keith was king of oblivious, before picking up his mission. The interval took only three seconds and one blink.

"I wouldn't call it breaking up. They just talked it all out and decided that it doesn't have a chance."

"...en?"

"Huh?" Hunk whizzed when Keith's face suddenly was in front of his, separating only by few centimeters.

"When?!" Keith repeated his question louder. The look he had would belong to a mad man, but on him was a symbol of lost and worry. So raw and so true that it almost took away Hunk's voice.

"Um, a week ago? You know, since our lunches became silent and all admirals started to smile more because it finally got quiet like it used to be?" Hunk heard the way Keith gritted him teeth, sure that their close proximity wasn't the only reason why.

"Where is he?" Keith asked, using his 'leader voice' as Hunk called it, which sounded like criminal asking for your phone in a dark alley for anyone who didn't know him.

"What?" dumbfounded by hearing it outside of mission Hunk asked, unaware of a shocked look that Shiro had on his face right now.

"Where is Lance?!" Keith again repeated his question, this time loud enough to make it hear at the other end of corridor.

"In his room, staring out of a window-KEITH!"

After three word left Hunk's mouth, a flash of red and black ran past him towards his and Lance's room. Only Shiro, who lived with Keith long enough to know him like the back of his hand, knew the look of worry that Keith currently displayed. He saw it only twice - when Keith read in internet more about his disease and when he was for the first time trying to pilot Black, while back when Shiro's conscious resident inside it. It was now third time and the reason was Lance's well-being.

Shiro realized that he has a giant smile on his face only when Hunk pointed it out. Well, he approves and it's hard hide this fact. Lance is a good guy and excellent soldier with only a bit of awful sense of humor. Keith chose fairly well this time.

"I'm sure Keith will handle it." Shiro assured Hunk, sending him a wink. "Want to go play table football?"

"Are you going to cheat with that hand?"

"No~"

"...I'm calling Pidge to join my team."

~*~

Little droplets of water were smashing window, only to travel down it surface, racing with its brothers to be the fastest. Sometimes, they were able to achieve it, but most the time they had to swallow other droplets to get bigger and move forward.

Lance remembered how he loved watching races of droplets when he was little kid. It was the best way to pass time during long car-trips. He never would have thought that he will do it as an adult after butchering up his chances with beautiful girl. Hell, he'll never considered that _he,_ out of _all_ people, will be the one to do that. Yeah, likes to think that he was the one breaking hearts, but some part of him was aware that it was all his imagination. Because nobody loved Lance McClain, with all of his flaws and problems.

 

_"Princess, what do you like about me?"_

_"Hmm?"_

_"What's in me, that would make you possibly want me as your man?"_

_"I'm not sure what you mean."_

_"You fell in Lotor for a reason, despite he was part Galra. And his weird eyes. And strange habits."_

_"That is...indeed, truth."_

_"So, what's in me that would make you fall in love?"_

 

He didn't moved his head by even a millimeter when he heard his doors open with loud thump.

"I thought you've gone shopping Hunk."

"It's...not Hunk." said raspy, low voice while panting along the way - like after jogging. Lance eyes widened and he, very slowly, looked behind at the intruder.

"Keith?"

"I, um, I just, heard. What happened." he looked aloof at Lance, hoping that his awkward words were able to reach him. Seeing how Lance neither said a thing nor changed his face, Keith started shooting the next one's in a ramble that even he didn't expect. "I mean, that you two split up. I know I should've seen this earlier, I mean splitting part not it happening, but-"

"What are you doing here?"

"Hmm?

"Why did you come?" Lance asked in a broken way, not realizing how it clenched Keith's heart. The image of bubbly and cheerful person that loved bickering with him didn't match with a person that sat on a bed next to a window with back facing doors. Face of a broken person, shirt full of wrinkles, red and swollen eyes from crying to sleep. The blue of eyes was impossible to mistake yet they didn't hold life like they used to before - alive, yet dead.

"I don't know." Keith crossed his arms, avoiding analyzing him blue eyes. "Before I could think, my legs got me here."

"Oh, great." Lance commented sharply, for the first time in week showing different emotion than numbness. "How lucky of me."

Keith didn't took the bait this time. He closed the door and sit on a bed next to Lance, one leg pulled underneath and back pressed to a window. Lance immediately glued his gaze to the window, propping his chin on a hand.

"I want to help." Keith said, which was enough to break the last strands of Lance numb state, pulling him toward anger. It wasn't visible outside, but boiled inside feels finally were ready to burst out. "How are you feeling? Want to...talk about it?"

"Why?" came snarky question, accompanied with exhaled through nose air - mimicking laugh.

"Why, what?"

"You didn't answer." blue eyes locked for a second with purple, without moving any muscles of a body only to return observing rain. "Why did you come?

"Because we are Team-"

"Yeah? Now, we're a team?!" Lance finally looked at him and Keith could only shiver at the anger converted in his eyes. Blue that he associated with summer sky now reminded him of holes made in ice during winter. Almost like when they were trapped in the nothingness of space. "You didn't think that when you left us for your buddies form Blades!"

"That!...I'm sorry." Keith didn't have anything better to say, mainly because he was too afraid to tell all the reasons to reveal them. He left, he had his reasons but he wasn't Hunk. He wouldn't face them, at least not now. "I was sure it was the best solution." was what he settled under blue gaze. "I was awful leader. Shiro was the good one. The choice seemed obvious."

"Yeah, put Evil clone as a leader while you go off, having fun with your glowing purple sword."

"I wasn't having fun!" Keith shouted, like always when someone touched one of his mental scars and like every other time he reacted with yell that could be heard in next room. "I was training everyday, throwing up my lungs and vomiting for the first month, getting hurt over and over again, almost died - more than few times! And I missed you-!" he halted for a second, redirecting his speech. "I missed all of you! Everyday! I felt like my heart was thorn apart and shattered into a million pieces. I couldn't see or hear any of you every time I woke up or went to kitchen. There was no Hunk cooking, no Pidge's jabs, Allura's sighs and yours dramatic acts or speeches. I almost couldn't stand that."

"Wha~, cool story." Lance fist whipped invisible tear from his eyes, face still lackluster. "Almost cried."

"I knew that would be my life when I made that decision" Keith pulled his hair - angry at how he was bad at articulating what he wanted to say. He finally let them go, sending unsure yet angry look at Lance. "but I followed it, because I was sure that was right."

"Well, it wasn't." said dryly Lance, with a sigh getting back to looking outside. Without thinking much next words, stained with anger and hurt - heard in his cracked voice - left his mouth. "You should just stay with us, but no! Keith's the loner and he has to leave because he can't do people!"

"That wasn't the reason!"

"Then what was?!"

"..." Keith hesitated, not sure how to properly answer. Hunk would have advise to just go for it, not thinking much, but Keith was bad at words and words could hurt as good as knifes. How he was supposed to answer Lance that the reason was to run away from being hurt and help him become better person as well as know himself better?

"What? Cat got your tongue?"

"Red Lion." Keith whispered, finally making decision to listen to Hunk inside his head, carefully spitting out his minds while staring at his hands ashamed.

"Huh?"

"You, Hunk and Pidge didn't see that me being a Galra was a big thing. Surprising, but you could deal with it." he shrugged with his shoulders, remembering how after an awkward week they stopped care and moved on. "Shiro too, he just had this face that said 'now it all makes sense' and went on." for a second he smirked, remembering how his guardian yelled 'I wasn't crazy' late in night when he remembered how Keith once turned purple. It didn't last long due to the rest of his words. "But Allura and Coran...there was something in their eyes that I couldn't stand. They knew it wasn't me who was responsible for destroying their home but...it was hard for them to be in the same room with me - especially Allura. Coran tried, but I could see pain in his eyes. Have you seen his room Lance? He has stuffed toys there. Galra probably killed his kid."

"Yeah, I saw it too..."

"Maybe being Galra meant that I had to bad? This question was running around my head the whole time. I wanted to know what it means. Being Galra. But I couldn't leave the team. I was supposed to lead you. And then you showed up." Keith risked looking at Lance, his face shocked - probably connecting the dots. Both looked equally vulnerable. Keith throat tightened and hurt when he spoke again. "You showed up and told me how you feel about Blue, and Red. When you left, I made up my mind. I'll do everything to convince the rest to let me go to the Blades, while you stay and pilot Red."

"..."

"That's all. Happy?"

After that, silence dwell between them like fish in the ocean. The only sound in the room was pounding of rain, their breaths and whimper - that took Keith long time to realize belonged to Lance.

"You did it all" Lance menages through tears and tightening throat, his eyes again locking with Keith's. "for me?"

"..."

"I didn't asked you!" Lance shouted angry. Angry for showing this weak side of his. Angry for being pitied on. Angry for not realizing something in time again. Angry on himself for being angry. Angry for being human with too many complicated emotions and no 'turn off' button.

"You didn't have too." was all Keith said in the most soft voice he ever heard him say. How dare he pretend to care about him this much and make so stupid choices doing so, not to mention not even saying it directly to his face in the first place! It took him a minute of whipping off tears before he was able to articulate again.

"You should be the one piloting Red."

"Lance..."

"You're way better pilot than any of us. Red should be yours."

"Lance, no one can replace you." just like Shiro, Keith laid his hand Lance's arm in - he hoped - reassuring gesture. "I love Red and I love flying her, but it's now your lion."

"But...I'm not as good as you. You're better at everything."

"You're joking?" for a shocked tone that Keith used Lance could react different than lifting his eyebrow up to hairline in confused manner. Keith only sputtered at his expression. "Lance, you had all I ever wanted. Big family that loves you. You can connect with people and had incredibly good eye in combat. I wish my aim was half as good. And you're quick to notice thing and make a plan out of them. You have abilities that I don't have and I'll never have. You _are_ worthy member of the team."

"Thanks."

Lance knew what power had words - he was self-proclaimed master of using it. The right words can help you get a girl but one wrong word can destroy all your effort. Or make your mother smack you with a towel. Keith rarely spoke, but when he did so he meant it. He wasn't a type to sugarcoat. Keith was blunt like a little kid. His words either hurt or bring peace and happiness. This time it was second.

"I just, said truth."

"I know." Lance couldn't stop sly smile and wiggle of his eyebrows. "And yeah, your aim sucks."

"Hey!"

"What?" Lance jabbed him in the chest with his finger, ignoring how the other winced. "You just admitted it and no! No taking back!"

"Tch." Keith crossed his arms with a pout. "I shouldn't say anything."

"Too late now!"

They both giggled and before they found out, both of them laughed out to their heart content not even knowing the reason behind. They just sat there, in a tiny apartment of Garrison dorms, on Lance's bed covered with blue blanket in white polka dots - like a night sky decorated with a stars. Lance didn't realize how much he missed Keith presence.

 

_"You are like my Father - brave and valiant, but also a bit silly. Through I admit, your sense of humor is way below me and my understanding."_

_"So, you like me because I remind you of your Father?"_

 

"It was me." Lance said when the laugh finally died down. "It was me who broke up with Allura."

"What?!" Keith yell of shock was loud enough to be heard at the other end of corridor, which caused one cadet to jump in shock and started a fight.

"I know, shocking." despite putting on laid-back attitude and his usual smile, Keith couldn't help but notice how forced it looked. "But deep down I knew it'll happen. She wanted to try, you know. Like, really try. With hand holding, kissing and stuff. Heck, she even leaned in for a kiss! And what did I do?! I quiznaking stopped her!

"YOU?!" Keith yelled again, this time halting corridor fight for three solid seconds. "Stopped girl from kissing _you_?! Who are you and what did you do to Lance?!"

"But, I got this feeling in my stomach that something wasn't right. Something was...missing. Then I asked the stupid thing." Lance sighted and before Keith realized what was happening Lance's forehead was already on his shoulder. He couldn't see Lance's face anymore but maybe it was better because guy also couldn't see how much his own was stained with panic. "I asked if she knew that I always liked her like that. And you know what? She did. She did and she still went for it with Lotor." he sighed into Keith's collarbone. "I never was her first choice, or rather - I never was an option." Keith desperately was looking through his brain for a box labeled 'human interaction' in attempt to find correct way of behaving. Why it was easier when he talked with Hunk was a mystery. "She loves me, I'm sure of it - but not in the same way that I love her. Maybe like a brother, but I could never be her man."

"..."

"We talked it over and decided that staying friends would be for the best. Friendzone full the way, man."

"I know how that feels. Being rejected, I mean." Keith tilted his head as old memory clicked in his brain before it came back to research. "My first crush didn't liked boys."

"Ouch."

"Yeah..."

"..." Lance tilted his head to the side to stare at Keith's face, only now noticing how ridiculously long eyelashes this guy had and how they curled up at the end. Veronica would kill for them. Not to mention Keith's eyes also were stupidly big for someone who was supposed to have Asian blood. The purple irises weren't even worth mentioning, but at least that could be explained by an alien DNA. Lance also was surprised that, despite staring at Keith's hair for hours during their Garrison days, he never spotted that they slightly curled - but that could've been rain's fault. His dreams didn't do him justice. It shouldn't be possible for a guy to have so pretty eyes, and soft hair - that up close smelled like dirt and rainwater - and this symmetrical face.

"Something wrong?"

"No." Lance leaned against his side, just like he used to do with Hunk whenever he felt tired. "Can you stay with me a little longer?"

"...Yeah." Keith finally found program responsible for human interactions, which he implemented by putting his arm around Lance in comfort. "I'll stay if you want it."

Lance felt his heart stop for a second before speeding up like champion on a Olympics, realizing or rather contemplating if this had something to do with the way Keith said it or general look of his face or their position, which was stupid cause it was brosition, or all above. He decided that it might be the last but when a familiar inching in his belly started - followed by an inner scream 'Abort! Abort mission!' - he told that stupid voice to shut up, because this time Keith won't go away and it's actually nice having head on his shoulder. It wasn't as soft as Hunk's, who in Lance mind was like a giant pillow, but still his head felt perfectly fine there. Until he made a mistake of opening his eyes, noticing their reflection in the window - two boys, both with somehow sad expression but one of them was clearly worried about the other. Lance would always recognize that look on Keith - he saw it almost everyday after Shiro went missing. Only this time Keith's eyes were clearly on Lance, like this time when a bomb sent off in the castle and he carried him to a healing pod. Cold shiver of realization went through Lance's spine.

"Uwah~!" whelp escaped from his mouth when Lance fell of a bed, realizing that inching in his stomach may not have been anxiety at all.

"Lance?" worried, purple eyes looked at him again with outstretched hand, ready to pull him up. Just like back then. "Are you okay?"

 

_Lance, are you okay?_

_We did it. We are a good team._

 

"Man, look at the time!" after quickly jumping back at his legs Lance looked at his wrist, still pretending that a watch was here. "I should take my beauty sleep!" pulling Keith by an elbow he with urgent shoved him out of the door. "ThanksforstayingwithmeKeith! Bye!"

"Um-"

"Bye!"

And with that Lance smacked his door, leaning his forehead against it after exhaling breath. Keith also leaned his forehead on the other side of the door for a second before leaving, small smile dancing in the edges of his lips. Lance however stayed there, contemplating his life choices.

"Holy Mother of Quiznak and _Mierda!"_ he looked at his reflection in the mirror hanged on the wardrobe doors. " _Joder.._."

~*~

As already mentioned - Hunk lived with Lance long enough to get used to the weirdest ideas and behavior of his roommate. Nothing new here. So, when he said that Lance did something strange then it really meant something. The current reason was him sitting on a kitchen chair and starring at apple and banana in front of him.

"It didn't even looked like he wanted to eat any of it! He just sat there and stared at it like it was Allura!" complained Hunk to Shiro while they were together watching news. Pidge sat with Matt on the nearby table, creating a musical of some sort (at least that was what Hunk thought). Only occasional yelps and groans were reaching their couch.

"Was he mumbling anything?" Shiro asked, not letting his eyes leave the TV.

"I sounded like twelve different ways of 'hmm' when you thinking."

"So he reached third stage."

"Third stage?" Hunk looked at Shiro with a demand of true scientist in eyes. Whatever his friend was going through, he'll walk with him. "What do you mean?"

"Keith was doing it with cereals."

"Umm? Elaborate, maybe? "

"One day" Shiro started a story using the same voice as Hunk grandpa when he was telling him about his childhood. Hunk almost laughed at the similarities in both men that ran deeper than than hair color. "he put on a counter honey loops and chocolate clovers and hummed for twenty minutes - while staring at them - before he sighed, looked at me and said 'Shiro, I'm gay'." Hunk chocked on a air before he giggled. Shiro continued ignoring him. "Then, finally, poured loops into a bowl while I sat there, getting ready to head to a job." Shiro sipped his coffee. "He probably broke a world's record in coming out. Did I mention he was fourteen?"

"That's the most Keith thing I've heard in my whole life. And I lived with Lance, who talked about him at least four times a day." Shiro quirked his eyebrow, before he got them back on a track.

"What was the conclusion of Lance's fruit contest?"

"He broke down crying because he couldn't chose one over the other." answered Hunk crossing his arms and letting his back hit back of couch. "He said: 'Apples are great! I like apples! Bananas are great too but do I want to eat banana? And if I eat banana does that mean I can't eat apples? But I love apples!' or something." Hunk said dryly, yet somehow managed to perform Lance dramatic accent perfectly. Pidge, who of course twitted this conversation on life, was more than impressed. "And then he smacked his face onto the table and groaned. That's how it looked like when I left."

"Clear confusion." Shiro gave his verdict with a sip of coffee, that made him look even more like tired Dad than he already was. "He's just not sure if he likes men."

"Once he finally realize" Hunk's eyes with defeat looked into the distance, realizing the nasty truth ahead of them. "his alien flirting will increase drastically, as well as his awful, puny-pick up lines."

"Or" Pidge pulled attention to herself, not averting eyes from her and Matt's work. After over-analyzing new facts, adapting as well Hunk's point of view, she came to a different conclusion. Spending time together with Matt and watching old, mecha anime with romance subplots had nothing to do with it. "he'll go after Keith and the only thing we'll have to worry about will be putting earplugs for the night."

"Pidge!" Shiro scolded little girl, for which she only reacted with a shrug of shoulders.

"She has a point Shiro." Matt added to the talk, pulling few strings of long hair behind ear. "Imagine a night without Keith invading your room to complain that certain someone has problems with memory, especially _the bonding moment."_

"Ugh~" Shiro groaned, remembering with too many details every evening when Keith couldn't shut up about Lance's poor memory and whats his opinion about it was. Shiro in a split second decided they have to get it fast or the scraps of his sanity won't hold out any longer. "Lance still in your room?"

"When I left he still was at the table." answered Hunk, looking at the work of Holt's siblings with a mixture of admiration and fear. "You two are _way_ too dedicated to this."

"I'll talk with him." Shiro said, leaving his warm spot on the sofa - which in a second got claimed by Romelle who started discussion with Hunk and Matt about difference between Altean and Earth musicals. Before Shiro left, the first notes of  _Sincerly Me_ performed by Matt and Pidge reached his ears. He only rolled with his eyes, too tired to deal with this teenagers and not in a mood to sing  _Candy Store_  either.

~*~

True to Hunk words, Lance was sitting in the exactly same place, hunched over a table with two fruits in front of him. Muffled groans, barely audible, still leaving his mouth. Shiro pulled chair with a loud screech to let him know that he was there. Lance only twitched his little finger as a sign of recognition but other than that he was a perfect statue.

"Lance?"

"Go away Shiro." Lance mumbled into table surface. "I have problems and  _nadie puede ayudarme..._ "

"Try me."

"..." Lance turned his head on a table, looking at Shiro with his left eye. "Promise not to make fun of me?"

Shiro send him reassuring smile, putting arm on his shoulder. "Lance, I would never make fun of you."

"But?"

"There's no but." older man shook with his head, as a result Lance's shoulder got a bit less tense. "Just say what's the problem."

Minutes passed and silence didn't disappear. Lance's eyes were flickering from one point to the other, while his fingers scratched back of his head. Few times boy opened his mouth only to close them - just like fish took away from water. He eventually lifted his head from the table to be more on a eye level, signalizing beginning of a talk.

"You see, Shiro, the thing is-" Lance halted, choking on his own breath, before a tsunami of words fell off his lips and hit Shiro - causing him headache that made him miss time when he fought with Keith. That one was less problematic. "Apples! And, bananas!"

"Huh?"

"You likes bananas." Okay, Shiro thought, that was a weird start. "Allura too." Yeah, they saw it first hand. "Hunk likes apples. Me too." Right, but where does this conclusion leads? "I always liked apples. No, I LOVED apples. They were pretty, some more than the others, and from time to time few of them were able to make me feel this strange but funny itching in a belly." oh, they had a Talk apparently. Shiro didn't realize it, too used to involvement of cereals instant of fruits. And, well, Lanceness. "There were bananas out there who I admired, but neither of them would ever gave me this feeling. But hey, it's normal! Everyone can admire bananas, even if they doesn't like them or the other way around. But recently there was one, really, really pretty apple with wonderful, em, seeds! Yeah, seeds! But this apple left a bitter taste and then there was this one banana, which also happen to have pretty seeds too and I-, I don't know. I kinda got the same itchy, funny feeling in my stomach like I had with apples. But I never liked bananas! I never felt like I should like them. But if I like them, that means that I never actually liked apples! But I'm pretty sure that I love apples! But, if I like apples it means I don't like bananas. And I would agree, but my gut telling me that somethings' wrong and I don't know what to do anymore!" he exclaimed loudly with almost cry, falling limply on a table. Three blinks later the talk was resumed. 

"If I understand correctly" Shiro took a chance when a tsunami of words died down, like its owner on the table with a moan. "You are confused, because you had a crush on Allura, and many girls before her, but never on a guy up until now?"

"Ugh~"

"Lance, eighteen century passed. It's not wrong to like guys."

"That's not a problem. What about girls?" the question was hardly heard, mainly because Lance tried to suffocate himself with table surface. Shiro laughed internally from this over-dramatic display. "Did I truly liked them or convinced myself so?"

"Lance-"

"And if I like guys, how am I supposed to tell if I like them or  _like_ them?!" quick pulling up on a chair and hard inhale told Shiro that Lance was not only on a destructive line of thoughts but also traveled through via express. "Maybe I can't be friends with Hunk anymore?! I once tried to be friend with ex-girlfriend and it didn't work. What if it'll be the same with Hunk?! I don't want to lost my best man!"

Oh, so that was a problem. Lance had a problem telling who he liked in which way. It sounded silly, but all of them knew that more than anything Lance was scared of being left alone. Adam once explained it to Keith and Shiro happened to overhead that conversation, which he thanked for his past self, because right now it was more than useful.

"Lance, do you want to kiss Hunk?"

"WHAT? No! I think..."

"You didn't hesitate. You're not crushing on Hunk." seeing doubtful look in blue eyes Shiro provided explanation. "Just because I like men doesn't mean I'll fall for every guy that I met."

"Sounds fair."

"You also don't fall in love with every girl that you meet." Okay, Lance did that. Shiro was glad to have at least one person in the team to make an example of. "Hunk too. Look at Pidge."

"That...actually make sense. But still!" they were still going? Keith was so easier to deal with. "How am I supposed to know?! Am I 'Apple team' or 'Banana team'?"

Okay, valid question but the problem was that Lance couldn't see answer in front of himself and walked around it. It was like watching person trying to get into a house via window on a upper floor while the doors are open.

"Did you considered third option?"

"Third option?" Lance eyes widen as he smacked in shock his hands on a table, his face suddenly closer to Shiro's. "There is a third option?!"

"Have you considered that, you may be playing for both teams?"

"What?"

"You know..." Shiro looked into the basket full of fruits, only to pull out one more to present in front of Lance's eyes. The only one that was round like apple but also long and curved like banana. "like that?"

"So, 'Team Pear'? But that doesn't make sense!"

"Lance, some people just like pears."

"But!" Lance pointed with both of hands at fruit in Shiro's hand. "I wanted to know which one I liked and now you're suggesting that neither is an answer!"

"No, I'm saying both is an answer."

"WHAT?!" Lance's scream, just like Keith's few days before, created a fight in the corridor. Assigned there hall monitor was less than pleased by that.

"Lance, you're bisexual." Lance squinted his eyes, as if he was trying to find contradiction in Shiro's logic. "You like equally girls _and_ boys."

"..."

"Um, Lance?"

"Sounds like cheep option of a guy who cant make up his mind and s' dating both girls because he thinks it's best option." Lance finally concluded skeptically. "But this time it's girl and a guy."

"But it all adds up."

"Shiro, people either like girls" Lance pointed at the apple. "or guys." he pointed at the banana. "That's how the world works. This?" he pointed at the pear. "This sounds like saying 'I can't decide if I'm straight or not' bullshit."

"Why don't you check yourself?"

"W-What?"

"You liked Allura, believe me I know how having crush looks like. I lived with Keith since he was thirteen. And was a teacher at Garrison for five years. Just ask him out and check for yourself."

"B-But! I can't just ask a guy out!" despite dark complexion, red blush on his ears and cheeks was still clear, even for a blind eye. "What if he doesn't like guys?!"

"I assure you, Keith and I are similar in this aspect."

"Wait, Keith's gay too?!"

"You didn't know?" this time it was Shiro's turn to be genuinely surprised. Keith was the last person to hide it and Hunk noticed it on, like, day two of being paladin. "It's obvious."

"Maybe for you! No one else knew!"

"Pidge knows. Hunk too. Allura and Coran kinda too, but they don't understand Earth concept of sexuality. Did you know Alteans doesn't care about gender?"

"Ah, now I feel stupid." Lance smacked his forehead with a hand, only to yelp in the next second when realization of what Shiro said sunk in. "Wait, I never said it was Keith!"

"Easy, Lance. I have nothing against." Shiro crossed his arms, putting on the best impression of an overprotective dad from Texas and because he didn't had a gun he had to use lights in his arm as a warning. Lance unconsciously gulped, because he met few fathers with this exact face when he was younger and to this day was frightened of their rifles. He promised himself to stop with 'Shiro is a dad' jokes for a while. "Just be back before ten and keep your hands in _your_ pants."

"Shiro!"

~*~

Hunk came to their room two hours later, only to witness Lance still sitting at the able, this time staring at three fruit. The third one - pear - placed in between already seen before apple and banana.

"Lance?"

"I'm pear, Hunk. Or bi-ar."

Hunk didn't comment it. He just went to his bedside to pull out magazine. He saw and heard weirder things.

~*~

_Lance was in some sort of void, colored in blue, red and pink with bits of purple - kinda like some sort of nebula. There was nothing, beside him and old radio on a pedestal. It looked kinda ominous if you asked him._

_Knobs turned on its own, adjusting static sounds before a clear voice came from speakers. Lance was sure he never heard it before, yet it had strange, familiar tone._

_"Inferiority complex is such an awful *fizz fizz* but not as bad as se*fuzz*ty crisis"_

_A basket full of apples and bananas grew out of nowhere before Lance, for which he only groaned._

_"Which one should you cho*fuzz*se?"_

_"I can't with this fruits. Why are they everywhere?!"_

_"Or *fuzz* maybe it should *fuzz* like that?"_

_Fruits disappeared,_   _replaced by two baskets one with fingerless gloves and the other with golden tiara._

_"Which one is true to your heart desire? *fuzz* Being a king or being a soldier? Which one you know better?*fuzz* Which *fuzz* safe?"_

_"What a strange station..."_

_"Will choosing one *fuzz* ends in losing the other? Or maybe choosing the other *fuzz*nd in loosing everything you know?"_

_"Okay, why are asking this questions? What it gives you?"_

_"I'm not the one asking them" radio crackled, finally letting the voice out clearly. "But you." came answer, using Lance’s voice._

_"Wha-"_

_"But you know that those are wrong questions to ask. You need to ask different one. Do you know which?"_

_"You tell me. Aren't you my psyche?"_

_"Haha, good one." voice in radio giggled. "What do you want?"_

_"I want to make people that I love happy."_

_"Not bad, but you still avoiding answer. That's not a pop quiz, no one gonna mark you for that. So, one more time - what do you want?"_

_"..." Lance once again looked at the boxes only to sigh. Out of nowhere there was a rotten apple in his hand. He placed it carefully on the radio. "I want to be happy. And fall in love, I guess."_

_"And what do you need for that?" Lance flicked with his fingers, destroying apple on the radio. Basket of fruits again showed in front of him. Only with a bit of hesitation he took from inside pear, biting it down. "Did you make up your mind?" Lance caressed carefully tiara, covered in remnants of rotten apple, only to turn over to the gloves."So, that's how it is."_

 

Lance opened his eyes, not scared or frightened anymore. Hunk was still snoring in his bed. Refusing to wake him up, Lance used his phone to light up nightstand. He opened drawer, set aside few papers and junk inside it before fishing out little silver and blue altean jewelry box. Allura gave it him once as a present, to help him store all stones he picked up on different planets. But the stones weren't the only thing he kept inside.

"I am a dumb one." he said giving up, not trying to bully himself anymore, accepting the reality as he stared at fingerless gloves he snatched from the castle. When Keith left for the Blades he forgot to take them, so Lance decided to give them back when the guy'll be around. But he never came for a even short visit, so Lance just kept them until now. He snatched them absentmindedly during evacuation. "A beautiful dumb, at least."

~*~

Keith was actually easy person. When he was upset he had to release it out, sometimes via drawing, sometimes via riding bike and sometimes-

"Gyach!"

-by throwing knives. Yes, he had knives that he threw at the tree in a backyard of Garrison. When he was younger, the photo of Iverson was also attached there, but in a light of recent events he took it down. Now, he simply threw knife after knife into the red dot, letting out his lack of understatement.

He decided to move on from Lance. Having crush on a straight guy was no news for him. Just let go, the life goes on. The problem was - Lance just happen to act like he was, in his own Lance way, after him. Which was stupid, because this guy was as straight as a ruler.

"Work more with your wrist." Krolia instructed him, startling Keith - which ended in knife missing not only red spot but also the tree.

"Mom!"

"You know" Krolia took few steps forward, sitting down on a root. Keith still was surprised by how comfortable she felt surrounded by humans, despite being big, purple alien. "when me and your father started to have feeling for each other - I dealt with them by shooting down plates."

"Yeah, I saw that." that was true. It was one of weirder memory from Quantum abyss. Also, it was his father who built up that machine to throw them in the air. Apparently he found it fun to watch.

"So" she petted sleeping nearby Kosmo, asking almost innocently. "who's the lucky boy?"

"MOM!" Krolia only spread her hands open with a shrug. "It's not like that."

"I know you like him."

"So?"

"He may like you back."

"Krolia, Lance doesn't like guys like that. He's like a ruler." his mother's eyebrows lifted in question, like always when she didn't catch Earth's quotes. "Straight." She still was looking at him. "He only likes girls."

"Ooah!" she finally exclaimed, getting his point.

"Yeah."

"Then, a fact that he asked me if I'll throw a knife at him if he ask you out was clearly platonic." Keith again missed tree hearing what she said. Krolia laughed seeing his face. "I said that I'm more of a shooting person. And that I'll do it only if he breaks your heart. Unless you do it first." Keith gulped, and turned back to the tree to pull out all his knives. This way he wasn't exposed to Krolia's smug smile.

"He was probably messing with you." Keith answered, polishing his knives with his T-shirt. "He likes doing that."

"We will see." she only provided, crossing back her arms. "And seriously, use more wrist."

~*~

Lance did many things in his life that could be considered stupid, embarrassing or both. Drinking down juice made out of three packs of jelly bears, cola, Sprite and half pack of sugar, going dressed up as Moana on Halloween and ending on starting their galaxy adventure by following one guy because he recognized his hairstyle were only few examples to go by.

Now, he was going to ask said guy out on a date while he was throwing knives at the tree. What can go wrong?

"Keith?" Lance asked, not much louder than a whisper. Keith ignored him, throwing another knife. "Keith!" Lance tried louder. Another knife hit red dot. "KEITH!" he finally halted, looking back. Knife fell from his hand to the ground.

"Lance?"

"Hey, man. What's up?" Lance approached, stiff yet still putting on his loverboy persona. Even Keith, king of failed human interactions, noticed it was off.

"Sky?"

"What? Oh, yeah right. The sky, right. That's funny. Haha."

"Lance, do you need help?"

"Here!" Lance pulled out his hands from behind his back, almost hitting Keith's face with them. The poor boy took step back to be able to see what the deal was.

"Gloves?"

"You left them back in the castle when you left. I wanted to give them back but there was never a chance so-" Keith took leather scrabs from him, putting it close to his face - covering his mouth. "Here!"

"You kept them all this time?" came muffled question, accompanied by a tiny blush - almost unnoticeable. 

"Well, yeah. I guess I have." Lance admitted, scratching back of his head. He finally took a long inhale, exhaling air twice as long. "Keith, are you free tonight?"

Keith's eyes widened in surprise, striking Lance from inside - because it wasn't fair for a guy to be this cute - before he answered. All the moments they went through together, all his worries and doubts, the way Lance cling to him that afternoon danced behind his eyelids. Keith wasn't sure if this was what he thought it could be, so he tried to calm down his beating faster and faster heart.

"Yeah?"

"Want to hang out? With me? Just the two of us?"

"U-hum."

"Great. Get ready at seven." Lance side eyed tree next to them. "Leave knives in your room."

"U-hum."

"See you later!" he added before sprinting back towards dorms.

"U-hum." Keith murmured one more time, before his legs gave out. Kosmo licked his face, not sure what happened to his master. "Did he just asked me out on a date?"

"Woof!"

~*~

"Finally!" Shiro raised victoriously his hand, hitting accidentally ceiling. "Ups."

"Yeah, I get you." Krolia stretched out on her place next to the window on a second floor, where conferences were usually held - perfect hiding spot to spy on people. Or your son. "I had to look how they pinned after each other for two years. This feels like such a ... we call it  _visin grach -_ a state when your problems and awful thoughts disappear and your mind become clear."

" _Visin grach,_ then." Shiro raised his mug, drinking down the rest of a coffee. "How much do you want to bet they'll kiss in less than ten minutes of a date?"

"Oh, Shiro, _please"_ Krolia waved dismissively with her hand from left to right and Shiro knew better than anyone what this meant when Keith used this gesture. Usually, two seconds later he would say something that caused him and Adam to split out whatever they had in mouths. "they gonna make out and sneak back late at night, pretending that red spots on their necks are bruises from a fight."

"You say it like you already know it'll happen."

Krolia only shrugged, avoiding his eyes and pretending to whistling - like Keith when he broke Shiro's porcelain vase, the same one that belonged to his grandpa. How it was possible for the two of them to be so similar?

"Want to catch them sneaking back and embarrass them?" Shiro asked, lifting up one of his eyebrows. Krolia tilted head to the side, pretending deep thought.

"Embarrass my own son, after his first date and in front of his boyfriend?" a smug smile climbed on her face. "I dreamed about it for years!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance go on a date and nothing goes like Lance imagines but at least their space family loves them. Also he gets boyfriend

If your idea of Keith Kogane’s wardrobe was few pairs of jeans, t-shirts and jackets then you were partly right. Yes, he mostly wear described above clothes but that in no way meant his wardrobe was so poorly equipped. To be honest - he had the most clothes in his Team after Lance and Allura. Most of them were leftovers of him going through different phases and not being able to throw away a thing. So, where does it leads him? Mostly to insanity, because he had no idea what he was supposed to wear for possibly-date-with-Lance-yes-this-Lance-but-it-could-be-just-friendly-meeting-with-no-romantic-intentions-at-all. In short - he had Gay Panic.

And like always in his life, when he wasn’t sure what do to he went to bother the only person that could possibly help him.

”Shiro!”

Keith marched unceremoniously into small living room area where Shiro currently resident with a cup in his hand, almost napping if not for Keith’s screams and moans. With a sigh, once again checking if his coffee was a vodka-free estate, Shiro turned his head back at his little brother. The sight he witnessed was, however, worth everything he went through today.

”Keith, why do you look like a lovechild of emo-steampunk and k-pop boysband?”

And Shiro wasn’t far from truth, because Keith decided that wearing brown boots with red laces, black jeans with holes on his tights and attached to them chain with a skull, red shirt with ’BAD BOY’  written on it, black sort of waistcoat, three necklaces - each one different lengths - and black bomber jacket with koi fishes on the back was a good idea. His hair also looked different - mainly because he tried to maintain them for the first time in his life. Leather lace with blue gems at ends was keeping them in ponytail, while a bunch of different hairpins and hairclips kept his front bags back - showing off forehead. Gloves that he got back also were in its place.

”It’s that bad?”

”Want me to be nice or honest?”

Keith didn’t answer his question, deciding that groan and falling flatly on a coach over its back was more suitable action. His legs wiggled in the air, while his hands covered his face. Shiro didn’t move a single muscle, deciding that his artificial arm - that happened to be flying - was enough to annoy Keith. Prosthetic flew to black hair, pulling one of hairclips - Rolling Stones logo with rainbow tongue - to get his attention.

"What?" Keith asked, lowering his hands enough to make his eyes visible - mostly to send him a glare.

"Why do you care? I didn't expect more than clear shirt and brushed hair, doubt Lance much different."

"Well, it's, promise not to laugh?" Shiro raised his cup holding hand to his chest, straightening artificial one that still flew over Keith's face. Boy only rolled with his eyes once, before answering. "I don't want Lance to laugh at me."

"Then you did a poor job." Keith groaned, sliding even more down the coach almost hitting ground with his head. Shiro raised his eyebrows in question, sitting up to get a better look at his little brother. "Stop worrying so much, he's not _that_ petty."

"But he's always making jokes about my jacket and hair!"

"So, you decided to rob a theft shop?" shrug of shoulders told Shiro that he didn't give it that much thoughts to begin with. "And what's a deal with ponytail?"

"I thought it looked cool..." timidly answered Keith and yes, Shiro has to admit it looked good but he spend too many years with him to even see regular, _normal_ ponytail on Keith.

"Yeah, but where's my pineapple hairstyle?"

"Shiro, no."

"Keith" purple eyes, with fear swimming inside in circles, looked at him with hope. "stop thinking so much and just put some clothes on."

"But it's Lance!" came yell from at this point laying on the ground Keith. "We both know that he's a walking fashion police."

"And he likes your hair." Keith send him one of many doubtful stares. "It's classical, kindergarten flirting. I'm surprised he didn't pulled your hair yet. Don't send me this look. I've seen many boys at Garrison flirting like that."

"Yeah, right."

"Okay, you relationship expert" Shiro's arm pulled Keith into standing position by the collar, like a mother cat would her kitten, only to pull him inside his old room. "take off that plastic from your hair." Shiro stood up few second later, following his arm and Keith. "We'll see what you hide in the closet."

~*~

Hunk send Lance off on a dates enough times to know how the guy behaved when he got stressed. Not to mention that he witnessed as many times the state of their room turning into a total mess of shirts, jeans, trousers, scarves, neckerchiefs and shoes. It was at this times that Hunk was questioning if he didn't lived with sixteen year old teenage girl. Only sight of Lance laying face-down in the middle of all of this told him otherwise. Hunk took a bite out of his chips pack, unfazed by all of this.

"Whoa, why did your side of wardrobe throw up?"

"I have nothing to wear!" hurtful cry, muffled by two pairs of jeans and scarf, escaped from Lance mouth.

"Lance, you've been wearing the exact same outfit for two years in space." Hunk pointed out, taking another chip. "We're back and your gigantic collection is here. I don't get you."

"But!" Lance's head rose up - letting stripped scarf fall to the ground. "Still!"

"Why can't you just get this" Hunk picked up from a floor a random shirt. "and this" he took laying on his bed trousers. "and this?" at last, he snatched a scarf dangling from lamp. Lance send him a look of disapproval.

"A green t-shirt and blue scarf?" his head again dive back into mess of clothes. "Really Hunk?"

"You're the expert here, not me."

"That's true!" without any warning Lance jumped back on his feet, slightly wiggling from doing it so fast. "I'm an expert!" the pose that he performed was clear imagination of what all fashion designers were doing. "I'm fashionista of this Garrison! I can do it!" once again looking around, Lance quickly lost his temper from a second before. "I can't do it!" and with a thump he fell to the ground. Hunk sighed, before he knelled next to his friend, nudging his shoulder.

"What's the problem now?"

"My date is a problem!"

"Elaborate?"

"My date, well, how to say it-"

"Is it Keith?"

"Yiek?!"

"Yeah, figured it."

"What?! But-How?!"

"Lance, I know how your horny face looks like. You were looking at Keith's butt way too many times not to notice it."

"WHAT?!"

"Keith's the last person to care about the look." Hunk continued his speech, ignoring how much Lance was dying along the way, waving with one of his hand dismissively. Lance's eyes, on the other hand, had now a size of saucers. "Just pick anything - the guy is going to send you ogling eyes anyway."

"Hunk!"

"That's true."

"No, I mean...you, aren't you surprised? That I'm going on a date with, you know, guy?"

"Lance, on the first day you called me Teddy Hunk, because you thought I looked cute like a teddy bear." The only answer to Hunk's statement was an awkward nod. Lance didn't quite get what the deal was, he was called like that many times back on Cuba. Usually by old ladies but few guys at school also did this, for example his first crush - Rosie Catchella. Actually, giving it more thoughts it kinda made sense. "I knew you weren't straight - just surprised it took you this long to figure it out."

"To be honest, I'm still not sure" Lance rolled over on his back, staring at the ceiling and few clothes dangling of the lamp. "people just know this thing, you know. Like, you turn fourteen and suddenly BAM! You realize that you like the same gender. I saw that in my school or heard from my siblings." boy sighed, before he looked at his friend with a bit of anxiety and confusion plastered clearly on his face. "I never had that. What if this is just a phase?"

"Then ask yourself - how did it feel asking Keith out?"

"Hmm. I don't know. Scary?" Lance shrugged with his shoulders, feeling like smirk is overtaking his face. "I was half sure he'll throw knife at me." their joined laugh filled messy room, as they both imagined Keith stabbing Lance. It died down faster on Lance, as he came back to the event from few hour before. Strange mixture of warm with a bit of bitterness swirled in him - tasting like his mother's cheesecake to which someone added raisins (which he despised by the way) - but explaining it to Hunk seamed impossible. How one is to say that something is perfect but can't be, yet evidence against it are nowhere to be seen. "But, also, kinda, right? Like, that what was supposed to happen?"

"Like with Joan Rivers?" Hunk suggested, using the name both of them swear to never mention - unless lifes were at stakes. That name belonged to Lance's first real girlfriend, responsible for most of Lance's first times. When they fell apart Lance was walking ghost for half a year. Like every teenager he was sure that he'll never like anyone like that again, till he realized that there was more girls willing to go with him on a date. That was the begging of his Loverboy Life. "Before you split up and stuff."

"...yeah. Like that."

"Then, don't worry." Hunk patted his shoulder, almost breaking it with the force that he forgot it hold. "Spend some time with him, buy the guy an ice cream - if you feel like kissing him then-"

"Go for it?"

"Well, I guess yes. But also, you'll have an answer."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Now pick some stuff without thinking. I bet my lasagna that Keith is only going to change his shirt and maybe brush hair."

"Oh my God." Lance covered dramatically his face with both hands before yelling. "I've asked out a caveman!"

Passing by corridor group of girls laughed at this, quickly posting it on their twitter accounts.

~*~

Everyone had a situation when they started doubting they life choices. Lance was doing it right now as he kept staring at the doors to Shiro's apartment - where also Keith lived - waiting for them to open. He would do it half an hour ago if he didn't spend it on preparing his outfit. Long debate ended on wearing blue tank top, black jeans, snickers, and grey cardigan - currently tied around his hips. Last minute addition was necklace with shark tooth and red bandana on his right wrist. He didn't know why he even tried this hard when Keith will be just like Hunk described - clean shirt and maybe brushed hair. How did he fall for such a person?!

Door finally opened, showing in his full-frightening glory Shiro sending warning glare to Lance. Boy witnessed so many fathers giving him the exact same eyes but still couldn't get used to it. And why they keep doing it anyway? It's not like he was going to do anything bad, or rather nothing the girl wouldn't like. But this time it was a boy and maybe things work different then? Maybe gays have some different date-code and he'll do something that's not allowed and Shiro will send him on the other side and Allura won't be nearby to save him this time!

"Finally!" Shiro exclaimed tiredly." I was going to die again!"

"Eh?!" kept in one place with lube brown eyebrow lifted up in question. Yes, Lance liked death jokes but when Shiro was the one using them, then it was a different story.

"Keith is such a disaster."

"I'm not!" yelled said person from inside the apartment. "Why are you like this?!"

"Lance, take him away before he'll destroy his wardrobe."

"Yes, sir." Lance nodded dutifully, which earned him a lift of grey eyebrows. "I-I won't do anything to Keith. You can rest assured."

"Shiro, move aside." Keith pushed tall man to be able to sneak past under his arm that was still made of flesh, trying to avoid getting any unnecessary comments. Before the flying prosthetic could catch him, he smacked panel next to the doors. "We'll be back at twelve. I have cellphone and credit card. Go watch _Transformes_ with Matt or something." And before Shiro could deliver some sort of answer the doors closed. Keith let out a sigh before sending Lance questioning look. "Are we...?"

"Yes." Lance turned on his feet, pointing at the far end of hallway. "Follow me!"

Keith nodded, despite the fact Lance couldn't see it. They both went to the exit in awkward silence that neither of them tried to break. How they were supposed to, if each of them was freaking out inside for different reasons. Keith - because he didn't know if this was a date and what should he do if it was one or what if it wasn't, as well as if his clothes looked nice. Lance, on the other hand imagined Krolia and Shiro torturing him due to breaking some unknown rules of gay-dates and that maybe it was the last time his face looked this good. It wasn't until bus stop that the silence got broken.

"What happen with the mullet?" Lance asked pointing at the tiny ponytail, still tied with leather lace decorated with blue stones. Keith unconsciously touched it and warmth hit Lance's face when he noticed familiar gloves. Gosh, he missed them so much!

"You...don't like it?"

"Nah, it's cool. You should always keep your hair like that." Lance shrugged with his shoulders, putting his hands into pockets, eyes set deadly on coming their way bus. "It's the only way to redeem that damn mullet."

"Again this. What's wrong with my hair?!"

"Man, you can't even see this." disappointed in the way the head beneath said mullet works, Lance shook his head. "Keith, if you visit one good barber you could look like a freaking Aragorn!"

"Who?"

"But you stick with _no bueno por chicas..._ oh."

_He keeps that hairstyle for guys..._

Lance's mouth formed perfect 'o' when the information finally got delivered to his brain. He still kept forgetting that Keith wasn't into girls. A sad day for female population but a happy one for bunch of boys. Lance kept staring at the sky, digesting the way his worldview shifted. "That makes sense."

"What? What makes sense?!" needless to say that Keith, not being able to see the whole picture that was forming inside Lance's brain, entered panic mode - which essentially meant him asking inside his head a thousand questions in one second, hardly connected with each other. Why didn't he took off that damn lace was the first.

"Well" the bus arrived and Lance jumped inside without looking at Keith. "it now kinda grew on me - so, it's not that bad. I think."

Surprisingly, that simple question was able to stop chase of ideas inside one panicked brain. It was the first time in history of known universe that Keith Kogane kept still from shock and silent for lack of words and not conscious decision. One second he gets complimented then laughed at, then ignored only to be complimented again. If dating was always this complicated then he should have stayed single forever. That is, if he was on a date - he still didn't know and it was too late to ask.

"Keith?" Lance looked over his arm, calling him to join inside the bus. Said boy snapped back from his internal crisis, whipping his head at Lance. "You're coming?"

"Of course I am!" Keith shouted like he was trowing a challenge, jumping inside after him. When the doors closed and Garrison buildings got significantly smaller, he realized that it was really happening and now was no going back. He eventually turned his body toward accompanying him boy. "Where are we going?"

"City."

"Figured." Keith tore his eyes from windows to sitting in front of him Lance. "But what did you planned for, well" he gestured between them, still questioning the nature of their meet-up. " _this._ "

"There's festival organized by some newly aligned aliens. Thought it could be cool to go and see fireworks." Lance shifted to look at Keith. "Are you...?"

"Sounds okay." Keith replied, looking back outside the window.

The bus kept moving forward, while both of them sat there enjoying the presence the other provided. Lance made some comments about shape of rocks they passed by or passengers, adding silly voices when performing a one-person comedy for him. Keith, as stealthily as he could, kept checking out Lance and admiring the nice shape of wast shoulders and thin waist as well as muscles of his forearms that always were hidden by jacket. It was unfair how he looked thinner while dressed. He also let himself be dragged into game of 'I spy with my eye' enjoying how emotions changed on Lance's face. The ring of bell announced their arrival, surprising how short the travel actually felt even if they know it couldn't be shorter than an hour.

"Okay, here." Lance said as he pulled Keith by his wrist into a crowd. Keith may or may not acknowledge how his heart skipped a beat, while Lance didn't even looked like it moved him in the slightest. It wasn't far from the truth - while keeping an eye on his cousins or nephew and niece he was doing the same thing. It was like trained mechanism - see the crowd, then catch people who are with you by hand. Keith let himself be pulled deeper into mob, too focused on the feeling of warm hand on his wrist and broad shoulders spreading people apart. Also, he noticed a mole on the back of Lance head - next to the right ear. Cute, if you asked him.

"Lance, where are we going?"

Keith wasn't given a verbal answer, like he wished, but a spin and push on the back towards one of food-tracks or food-ships? He wasn't sure which name was accurate. The both that he was pushed into had a strange alien with four arms, yellow skin and horns selling something that looked like frozen yogurt. A line of clients, both aliens and humans, already waiting patiently to being served.

"Ta-dah~! Ice creams!" Lance announced, swirling on his toes like a ballet dancer and sending finger guns towards the seller. Keith only rolled with his eyes.

"You could just say if you wanted one." Keith said dryly crossing his arms, which he immanently regretted because Lance face dropped.

"You don't?" Lance asked with enough sadness to clench Keith's heart and send him on a guilt trip.

"Well, I don't mind." he provided quickly but blue eyes didn't lit with excitement nor does his lips quirked. "Lance? What's wrong?"

"Nothing!"

"Hey, don't worry. I like ice creams."

"That's not it."

They would continue to quarrel and send mixed signals, causing pain to a great part of their internet followers, if not for a loud yell that pulled both of their attention and people from the line to turn their heads. Few whistles and one loud gulping we the only comment of the owner of said voice.

"Keith!" boy turned back to see giant Galra in Blade uniform approaching him. Guy was twice Shiro's size - the highest man Keith knew - but what was worse, he was famous as the biggest gossiper in the Blades. Don't get him wrong - Keith was happy the guy was alive, but he could be alive in different part of this planet, preferably solar system. "My favorite Earthling, how you've been?"

"Um, okay." Keith eyed him up, cursing pain in his neck as he did so, praying that he won't read too much into this situation. He still didn't know if this was a date or not, for God's sake! "How are you?"

"Never been better!" he smacked Keith's shoulder with too much power, sending air out of his human lungs. "Your planet is so lovely! I already meet a nice Earth-girl over there! She wants to take me to the cinema! Isn't that great?! What's cinema by the way?"

"WHAT? How did you do it?!" Lance yelled behind Keith's back, earning a scowl and confusion on two faces.

"Who are you hiding there?" Galran asked, trying to see past Keith, which was hard because he decided to shield Lance with his body obscuring thus as much as he could.

"Hello, Keith's marmorite friend!" Lance, however, ignored this attempts at keeping their relationship secret and picked over Keith's shoulder - plastering giant, friendly smile and wave at the Galran. "I'm Lance, the current red paladin."

"Paladin Lance, huh?" Galran send Keith a wink and once more patted his shoulder with force almost big enough to knock them both down. Almost. "Congratulation, Earthling! You've got yourself your desired mate."

"What!" Keith again yelled surprised at the bolt assumption, ignoring that his face got hotter. They still could be just two friends standing in a long line for the ice cream on the festival where they were going to watch fireworks and play games that involved shooting, because Lance would want that and Keith wasn't an asshole who would say no to him.

"Oh, right - I forgot!" Galran put his hand to the forehead, smacking it a few times before again looking at two boys. "You call it 'boyfriend' I believe. Am I right?"

"He's not my boyfriend!" no matter how hard he tried, Keith's voice still cracked when he yelled again. Galran send him a smirk and a wink. Keith boiled inside even more - not sure if the reason was anger or embarrassment. If they were any booths with the game that involved stabbing he would out stand himself there right now. "We're, just, well, we-"

"Oh, how cute~ You're so shy." Lance cooed, hitting him with his hip. When Keith decided to send him a glare, since that wasn't helping, Lance dared to wink at him. Purple alien only giggled, finding their exchange entertaining. Lance, sensing that Keith may or may not consider stabbing him, put his best smile while turning towards the alien. "Mister, you got it wrong. It's our first date, so, nothing set in stone." finger guns returned, pointing at Keith with assist of shinning teeth. "Yet."

"LAnce!"

"Hahaha~" Galran guffawed loudly, gathering attention of nearby passersby. Keith glued his eyes to his shoes, repeating 'patience yields focus' on a loop, concentrating all his strengths to not stab anything or anyone around. "Have fun, kids!"

"Thank you, Mister! We sure will!" Lance waved to disappearing in the crown Galran long after they lost sight of him. "Man, he was so funny. You need more people, ehm, Galrans like him in your club."

"..."

"Keith?" Lance bent forward, trying to see Keith's face obscured by a few bangs that didn't made it into the ponytail. Keith turned his head to the opposite side, attempting to hide his expression. "What's wrong?"

"This" Keith shifted around, sending Lace unsure look and gestured between them and the crowd around. "is date?"

Despite his lack of understatement of human interaction, Keith knew enough to be sure that he just screwed up. Lance mouth fell open, only to almost close a few times, like a fish took away from a water. It took exactly two minutes of grunting and wild gesturing before he actually created logical and grammatically correct sentence, followed by hands on his hips and squirmed eyebrows. Not to mention over-dramatic tone, and why did Keith liked this guy?

"How _dare_ you ask that?!" brown finger jabbed Keith under ribs. Lance ignored his hurt expression, continuing his melodramatic show, that Keith still had no idea why was going on. "Of _course_ it's-what were you thinking?!"

"I didn't know what to think." Keith admitted while shrugging and avoiding blue eyes."You didn't precise what it is - just shoved gloves in my face-"

"I did _not_!"

"-and say we should hang out."

"I-wait" Lance frowned, letting the memories from the last few hours run through his head. His face, like by pushing a button, in a second changed from offended to flabbergasted. "Quiznack, you're right." his fingers dig into hair, pulling them hard enough to cause a pain to anyone who was watching as well as destroying all the work that the comb and brilliantine made. "I'm an idiot."

"Well, you can be dumb at times-"

"Thanks, Keith." Lance deadpanned, rolling with his eyes and questioning his life. "That sure cured my depression..."

"-but you aren't an idiot."

"Huh?"

"What's for you?" the alien running ice cream/frozen yogurt shop asked. Neither of them noticed how the line followed forward. They quickly eye-exchanged that neither of them read on a board what actually was in the offer or what they would like.

"I-I don't know." Lance eventually stuttered out while eyeing strange symbols, that probably were letters from some other solar system. "What do you have?"

Seller only sighted and mumbled under his nose, and despite no one speaking in his language everyone could guess what it was - curses and groans. When he ended he started to recite all flavors while pointing at each with his scoop - which, by the way, was the size of their bayards.  "Tyrox's plumberries, Euthyrox's pearnaples, Letrox's gooseberris, Artrox's curra-"

"I don't know any of this!" Lance complained, almost spitting in the face of the seller.

"And why all of them end with 'rox'?!" Keith added a second later, tilting his head in thought.

"Seriously? That's what you're concerned about?"

"But, don't you find it-"

"Every planet from my solar system ends with 'rox'." seller cut off, waving his scoop in their faces while his eyes changed color to dark purple. The boys may not know what race he was a part of, but they were smart enough to deduce it wasn't a good sign. "If you won't buy one cup in the next two doboshes, I'll let Indimrox to play with you."

"Your names also ends with 'rox'?"

"What's Indimox?" Lance asked for which seller pointed at the beast sleeping behind him that seemed to be made out of claws and scales. The only thing that kept it from moving around were metal leash and giant muzzle. Neither to say that no one wanted to get close to it. Both boys gulped down.

"We take this one!" they screamed in unison pointing at the green slot that strangely reminded them about food goo from the Castle.

"Great!" The alien seller eyes turned back to orange. "Which size?"

Keith eyed up giant scoop, sure enough that there was no way he would it all of it. But Lance had an extra stomach when it came to sweets. "Medium?"

"Okay! One Fulorox's green chisponuts medium size - up!"

"Oh, and" Keith's eyes shifted to look at Lance before blurting out the rest. "can we have two spoons?" at core he was romantic and it was a date so, eating from one cup should be cute. Technically it was like drinking the same milkshake. It wasn't but Lance's heart almost stopped when he heard it - disbelieving how smooth Keith could be.

"Yes, here you go!" Lance placed few coins on the counter, before snatching their cup of green goo. "Have fun at the festival!"

With their cup of ice cream in hands, which was the size of a bucket, Lance wandered off to a nearby bench. Keith followed after him, feeling the awkward silence again creeping up. After both of them took a place, get a spoon in the hand and started to eat in silence. About halfway through the cup, when both of them gave up to shuffle green stuff inside their mouth, Lance took an attempt to talk.

"It taste like a pistachio." he decided while chewing on the end of spoon. "I never knew they have pistachios on the other planets."

"Yeah, me too."

"..."

"..."

"Keith" Lance's soft voice pulled Keith in like a month to the flame. He cursed himself for being so weak for the Cuban boy. "why did you agreed to come with me?"

"Because, you asked?"

"And...you didn't know it was a date?" Keith shrugged with his shoulders and shook his head. Lance's only reaction was a deep, hurt sigh. "If you knew it was a date, would you agree to came too?"

"Wha-What are you asking?!"

"I get it as a 'no' then." Lance pulled his knees up to his chest, still keeping cup of ice cream between them and his stomach. "I shouldn't be surprised. Just because you're banana guy doesn't mean that you like me. Everyone in the universe has preferences, after all. And I just happened to be a pear. Probably. I think."

"Lance, I don't get anything you just say."

"Well, you like guys."

"Yes?"

"And I like girls-"

"Really? I didn't notice."

"But today I realized that...probably not only girls."

"Hmm?"

"Let's just say that bilingual probably isn't the only 'bi' I am."

"...Oh."

"That's your only-You know what, nevermind." Lance slammed cup on the bench, sending everywhere remnants of green goo. After two deep breaths he picked up when he left, ignoring how cute Keith looked when sending death stare at the green spot on his nose. "I thought that asking guy out on a date would fix it all." Keith halted his hand, busy getting off green spots, to look at Lance. Boy could almost hear how gears where turning under that stupid mullet that strangely was redeemed with a ponytail. "Stupid, I know. And I feel like a complete ass for dragging you all the way here just to check it."

"To make it short - you asked me out on a date, because you knew that I'm into guys and wanted to check out if you're too?"

"Well...part of it could be yes?" deep frown of a thick eyebrows should be enough signal for Lance to know how he screwed up, but he only realized how doomed he was only when Keith crossed his arms. "Listen, I asked you out because, well, I, you know-"

"No, Lance. I don't know." came dry answer and, god, was Lance screwed. There was only one way out of this - serving the truth out on a silver plate, hoping this time it won't end up again on friendzone and him sitting up in his room for the rest of his life. Having one ex-crush-turned-into-friend in your group was enough.

"I think I may like you." Keith still was looking at him with his trademark resting angry face. It was at this time that Lance started questioning his taste. How dumb one person can be?! "Like, like _like_ you."

The next second was like watching explosion of a bomb in slow motion. First - Keith risen up his eyebrow in typical manner of asking 'what?', then he opened his mouth to comment only to froze in one place, because it took him this long to get the message. You could hear how every little cog was processing what he just heard, trying to either confirm or deny it. When he accepted it as a part of reality and not weird, ice cream induced dream (he didn't trusted alien street food since he saw movie on Pidge's phone of Hunk screaming at some random for making their date cry), he did what he always did in his situation - looked for a way to debunked it. Lance was a friendly person, he just act like that, he also said it to Allura - the list was going. This time, however, none of excuse matched.

They were alone. Together. Didn't eat anything in last two hour except those ice cream/frozen yogurt/another green goo. There was nothing he would gain from saying it or a way to mock him.

"What about Allura?" Keith eventually managed to move his lips, realizing that he must have kept them open for this whole time. Lance didn't care, too frightened while waiting for an answer. He would bite his nails right now, if it wasn't for his mother's towel smacking him too many times for doing so. Just because she wasn't there physically didn't mean it was less scary. She could still do it after he got back.

"She's a history. We'll eventually be able to be in one room and not awkward at all, but as a couple? Nah, not a chance." Lance waved dismissively with his hand. "This ship has sunk like a Titanic but I got my doors." he risked looking at Keith and yes, the guy was still staring at him with open mouth, albeit a lot less wide now. "I just don't understand why they have a shape of mullet guy with fingerless gloves and stupid crop jacket."

"Lance" Keith avoided hopeful, blue eyes by staring at the chain attached to his belt and playing with attached there stars. "I don't get what you're saying."

"Oh my, Keith!" a pair of hands landed on Keith's shoulders, shaking with him until he looked at Lance. Needless to say he looked like angry cat that was took away from his safe spot. "I'm pouring my heart out here! I'm telling you all of this and you still act like you want to run away."

"Can you blame me? It's hard to believe since you were so hung up on Allura."

"Well, you could start from telling me how you feel" Lance let go of his shoulders, only to hug himself. It made him look even younger, which was hard when you now how many people were convinced that him and Pidge were the same age. And it wasn't because of her looking old. "so I prepare myself for either ugly whipping or surprised but happy cry."

"Blackmailing much?"

"..."

"I need to know few things first."

"Gosh, what's this? Interrogation?" Keith didn't react at the comment - trying his hardest, mind you - only looking intently at Lance. He eventually made a 'go on' gesture.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"What do you mean 'why'?" Lance tilted his head, while Keith still was looking at him with a weird fire in his eyes. "Is it wrong to say you like someone?"

"No, that's not it."

"Let me tell you something" Lance jammed his finger once into Keith's sternum, getting back a wince. It totally didn't make him smirk a little. His smile was purely reasoned by his speech. "when I like someone I say it. That just a type of a person I am."

"We lived together in the Castle." Keith rolled with his eyes, getting back a scowl. He couldn't know that it made him second person to say it today, needless to say annoy thus Lance. "I saw you hitting on Allura enough times to know."

"So, why do you ask? Are you jealous of Allura? I've told y-"

"Because I don't understand!" Keith snapped, hitting his knees with his fists. Lance pulled back, first time having so much anger, confusion and hurt directed at him since his break up the first girlfriend. "You hit on every girl in the universe that we ever met, even when you had a crush on Allura, but now you telling me this? It doesn't make sense! You hated me, then accepted me as a part of the team and leader and what? Now you think we should be dating?!"

"What's wrong with that? Are you against dating co-workers?!"

"I'm against dating someone who looks for a replacement for Allura."

Finally, a words that Keith was struggling to say since this evening started, an accusation that he was too afraid to bring up earlier flooded out of his mouth. Even if he wanted to take it back it was too late. Lance face wasn't just hurt - it was wan. A vacant look in his eyes, a slightly opened mouth, in a second changed to biting down on a lip and shivering hand that for some reason was in front of it.

"I'm not..."

"Then why are you doing it now?" Keith grimaced, shifting his body away from Lance - not trusting weaker parts of himself to not apologize to the boy. He looked even more devastated than the time he went to Keith to talk about the problem that was number of Paladins. "When she dumped you?!"

"...I..."

"You had a plenty of chance when we were together at the Castle. You could come at any time to my door and said it! You could call me while I was on mission with Blades. Or when we were traveling through space or going space mad. You had a plenty of opportunities and you never acted on it. Why, Lance?"

"...I...I..."

"You can't answer? Then let me help you." Keith stood up from the bench only to look down on Lance, his shadow swallowing the whole frame of shivering body. "You either look for a rebound or projecting on me and I'm not down for any of this. Bye, Lance."

Keith intended to walk past him without sparing a single look at Lance. A cold shoulder for a person that broke his heart multiple times and almost did it one more time. He has enough. Screw Krolia's and Shiro's advises and not-so-subtle-and-they-knows-it hints. Keith isn't here to suffer. He's done with chasing after Lance. Why he even agreed to go with him. He saw in Quantum Abyss how the two of them dancing in elegant clothes inside a ballroom and Allura asking him how it feels to be married. It's set in stone.

Before, however, he was allowed to leave a hand again caught his wrist. The grip wasn't the strongest and Keith could have easily break free from it, but he made a mistake of looking back. Lance's face was painted with enough pain to make Keith stop in track and consider what he just said.

"Call you while you where at Blades? Are you joking?!" fingers dig harder into his wrist, letting him feel hatred rather than hear it. "Everything fell apart when you went there! Call to you? That sounded stupid. We had so much on our heads, you had probably as much on yours." Lance let his head fell. He took a deep sigh before continuing bitterly. "What good would it bring?! Why did you go there, anyway?! Was it that insufferable with us? You hated that I started to treat you different?!"

"Yes! Yes I did!" Both voice and hands of Keith began to shake from bottled up emotions. "You always wanted to make fun of me or fight. But then Shiro disappeared and you started to be more human. You acted friendly, like you did with Hunk or Pidge. And you came to my room to talk, convinced me that I wasn't friend to you - just a leader. At least we stopped fighting. But you still were important to me, so I went to Blades like a stupid guy with a crush that I am. I didn't wanted to leave but...but if it allowed you to stay where you are and give the Team better leader, then I couldn't be more relieved."

"I was the main reason you went to Blades?"

"I considered it for a long time, but it was you who pushed me to do it."

"You idiot!" Lance let go of Keith's wrist, directing his fist instand to grab his hair. His voice came of muffled, hardly louder than a sound of falling pin. "If I knew this was going to happen then I wouldn't have talked to you! You know how I felt back then? Hollow!" His voice got louder, more emotional as he shook with his head. Even  if Keith wanted to say something, he wouldn't due to weird guilt it woke up in him. Like when Shiro told him to not pull of scab and wait for it to fall on it's own but Keith couldn't help himself and pulled it off. Needless to say it hurt like hell. "That's what I felt. There was always someone by my side that would look at me, waiting for explanation or asking what I think. Someone to laugh at my jokes and argue with me all the time. And them BAM! Nothing! Gone! _Nada!_ Off far away. There was a hole in me that I didn't realize I had. A hole in the shape of you."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I know I'm dumb. I can't understand more than a half of what Pidge and Hunk discuss at the table. I don't get Allura's and Coran's jokes about Altean ships. But I know how it feels when you like someone and what should you do. And I'm doing it now."

"You still didn't answer - why didn't you told me this before?"

"As I said - I'm dumb, buddy. It took me this long to realize what I was feeling. That the feels that I had many times before for girls, I could possibly also had for a guy. A guy so stubborn that nothing will ever stop him, afraid of letting people close because he's afraid of pain. A guy whose so badass that he would wipe off ten people in a second in a fight. A guy that annoyed to me the end of Earth, and later universe, because he was always better than me. A guy who looks good with low ponytail and loves flying, his cosmic wolf and patchwork family more than anything. But he have to stop eating so much junk food or my best friend will get heart attack."

"I don't get-"

"I like you, Keith." Lance finally said, voice firm without a trace of doubt. Only tinted red ears gave out his embarrassment and insecurity. "Not like a brother. Or a leader. Or a friend. Okay, actually it should be 'more that a friend.' But I really like you, dumbass."

"..."

"Keith?"

"..."

"Oh my-please say something! I didn't break you, right?!

"You?" Keith finally chocked out, his eyes popping out as much as it was possible. "Liking me? Are you sure?"

"Well, I have all the symptoms."

"Of...liking me?"

"Don't make this weird, man."

"Since when?"

"What? Since when I like you or since I know? 'Cuz those are two different things." Keith didn't answer, keeping his face emotionless while sending daggers with his gaze. Lance only sighed exasperated. "You know? I imagined this date totally different. Fireworks, ice cream, shooting booths-okay, okay, jeez." Lance halted the moment he noticed how right eye of the boy in front of him was twitching. This couldn't be a good sign. "Remember when you came to talk after Allura dumped me?" Keith nodded once. " Yeah, it hit me there. I was surprised. Yes, I liked Allura and it sucked. But it seamed that I also might like you, which was weird since you're a banana, and I _don't_ like bananas! At least I thought so then. So, one weird conversation with Shiro later it become clear that I'm pear and that's okay. It's a thing apparently."

"Lance..."

"Right, sorry. It is a recent news." blue eyes risked looking Keith, only to find a pebble next to brow booths more interesting. "But I think I might have a thing for you since Garrison? I'm not sure. Maybe it started later?"

"Since Garrison?" Keith could register not only faster heartbeat, but also a weird knot in his stomach as well as inching. This wasn't an information he was ready for. His long speech about being rebound suddenly forgotten.

"Hey! I'm not sure-"

"I like you, too." he blurted out, observing how emotions changed on Lance face from irritated to contemplating, to surprised, to frightened, to shocked which, won since it lasted there for longer than fraction of nano-second.

"Wha?!"

"From quite a time, actually."

"What?! Keith, don't drop bomb like this without a warning!"

"Since our bonding moment, I think, which you don't even remember!"

"What's there worth to remember?" Lance rolled with his eyes, frowning in exasperation and pouting. "Nothing big happen. You carried me bridal style to the pod and before that I admitted we were a good team...Oops." Before Lance could think and control himself, traitorous words already escaped his mouth, signing down his life sentence. Two fast prayers - one in English and the other in Spanish - said in a spar of two second Lance hoped were enough to get him to heaven. Keith's nostrils were enlarging and deflating. like a bull ready to attack. Lance started to apologize for his sins, sensing his near death.

"You..."

"Keith, buddy, my man, don't look at me like that."

"You remember!"

"Yes I remember, jeez. Don't look at me like that. It gives me chills."

Keith was sending him death stare only for next two seconds, until he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. All of Lance ancestors were grateful for his lenience, happy to not welcome another of them so soon. When Keith again opened his eyes the anger was almost gone, replaced mostly with hurt but also bits of sadness and fear. "Then why did you lied?"

"Because" Lance bashfully looked at his feet, ignoring the way Keith was looking at him. "because, it  felt weird, okay?" he finally confessed, feeling how his heart beat in his throat and backflips of stomach. "You held my hand, remember? And I couldn't describe what it made me feel like. I held hands with people before but, it was the first time I felt this weird. You make me feel weird things!"

"Then there's both of us." Keith's eyes became distant as he remembered old days, stroking his arm alongside. "I felt like I was walking in circles. Once you flirted with me, and the next second you went off to some random girls or Allura. But you really was there for me when I missed Shiro." a ghost of smile danced on his lips, as he fiddled with the hem of his sleeves. "And since you stopped hitting on her I got my hopes up. Had to remember that you're not digging guys." Keith sit back on the bench, looking up at the dark sky with few stars visible. It was strange to again be so far from them. "I think, I fell for you when you showed that you can be there for me when I needed it the most."

"Wow. Even when confessing you had to one me up." they giggled, Keith even rolled with his eyes playfully. "So, what's now? Are we?" Lance awkwardly pointed between them. Keith reached with his hand, grabbing Lance's fingers.

"If you promise to stop hitting on all random girls we met, I might agree."

"Okay, but you're not allowed to leave again without telling me why."

Keith squeezed brown hand with his own, sending Lance smirk. "I can arrange that."

Lance squeezed back, tentative smile crawling on his face. "Good."

In the back soft sound of guitar and piano reached them, coming from street performances. A small group of viewers already eager to hear the rest. Lance recognized the song, and since he was romantic, he started to sign in line with the guitar.

" _All those days chasing down a daydream"_

"Lance?"

_"All those years living in a blur"_

"Lance, what are doing?" Keith demanded, looking frantically around as if he looked for any danger that could free him from this situation.

_"All that time never truly seeing"_

"Stop, people are watching!"

 _"Things, the way they were_ "

Lance stood up in one, quick motion, pulling Keith with himself and spinning them around - purposefully ignoring the other's protest. Dancing together was romantic as hell and Lance was going to do it now, regardless of what this grumpy ball of anger - popularly called Keith - has to say.

 _"Now he's here shining in the starlight,_  
_Now he's here suddenly I know."_

Lance couldn't help giddiness inside him, seeing how Keith's ears got red - because it was a good, final, time for someone other than him to blush. He pulled him closer, only now realizing how little height difference there was between them. There was no longer need to bend his head down to look at Keith, but that also meant he wouldn't cutely stand on top of his toes to kiss him - which Lance totally, one hundred percent did not imagined. Still, shame.

 _"If he's here it's crystal clear,_  
_I'm where I'm meant to be!"  
_

"You're such an idiot."

_"And at last I see the light!"_

Lance ignored the comment, continuing singing at the top of his lungs while dancing wildly - catching attention of way too many people to Keith liking. But he could ignore it as long as Lance decided to fully embrace this sudden development, since he looked really good with a wild, child-like smile.

_"And it's like the fog has lifted,_

_And at last I see the light!_

_And it's like the sky is new,_

_And it's warm and real and bright"_

"Why do I even like you?"

 _"And the world...has...somehow shifted..."_ Lance voice broke off a little at the lyrics. Keith also sensing a change, hesitantly put a hand to his face. Lance smiled warmly, before lifting him up and swirling once around in the air. Few cheers echoed in the crowd as a reaction for their performance.

 _"All at once everything is different,_  
_Now that I see you."_

It was too perfect. That was the only thing that Keith's mind were capable of providing. In one night he got a date, with Lance, a confession, from Lance and dance in the middle of festival to some romantic song, with Lance singing it. If it was a dream, then he needs to check what caused it. He looked into Lance's eyes - only now realizing they are on the same level as his. There was no longer need to look up to catch his glance. If he moved forward few more centimeters their lips would met.

Song came to the end and applause resumed, with grateful nod from one of the musicians as they pointed at their money bucket. Lance sold his full of teeth smile at the crowd, basking in their attention while Keith awkwardly waved with his hand. Few things never change, despite the years. Eventually Lance took Keith's hand and run for his life, escaping from the crowd that somehow increased - mainly because people recognized them as Paladins.

***

"Keith and Lance are officially a couple, now." Pidge mumbled putting more chips into her mouth as she idly browsed through tabs on her phone. Shiro silently rose his mug, acknowledging her, only to continue watching another weird movie from Matt's collection.

"How do you know?" asked Hunk, chewing over peanuts trying to understand how the science in said movie worked or rather lack of it.

"People posted pictures and short clips of them dancing, tagging _redxblue_ , _redxblack_ , _klance_ , _laith, lionship_ and _what's the official name_." Pidge's eyebrows knitted the more she looked at the tags. "What do you think? I vote Koclain."

"Lance has two surnames, Pidge." Hunk pointed out, yawning without a reason. "Forget this one. What's wrong with Laith?"

"Only you, me and his family knows this, Hunk." Pidge pouted, huffing angrily at few of her hair strands. "You can't make anything good from Serano. Much less McClain-Serano."

"Pidge, look at their first syllables." said Matt, throwing one of chips into air to catch it with his mouth. It bounced of his nose onto floor, were Kosmo immediately showed to eat it and zip back on  Krolia's laps. "Lake, Pidge. _Lake_."

"I like Keice." said Shiro, while tapping on his phone, trying to find said photos as well as decent cooking lessons. Hunk banned him from kitchen, terrified of what he would do there.

"You have no clue how shipping works." mussed Matt, with his head on the laps of his girlfriend. Shiro only rolled with his eyes.

"Matt, you wanted Keith to marry your sister at one point."

"And I'm proud of it." Matt threw one of his chips at Shiro, aiming at the floof of hair but failing miserably. "Imagine - my little sister and your little brother. It's a dream come true!"

"Grow up, Matt." Pidge groaned, tapping at few more tabs on her phone. "Oh, the mob lost them."

"How is that possible?!" Romelle yelled at the TV, commenting the events that were unfolding there.

"Keith is like a ninja. He probably beat few up and run away via parkour on the roofs." Hunk provided, adding few more chips into his mouth. "At least, that's what Lance would say."

"You are capable of making a tornado out of sharks?!"

"Oh, you were speaking about the movie..."

"Do we have any idea when they're coming back?" Krolia asked, petting Kosmo with one hand and reading one of Keith's old book. She thought it was a good idea to understand Earth culture a little more, while getting to know your son along the way. Not to mention, despite weird description of magic there presented, she liked the story. And she was only on second book out of seven. "I was mastering face of disappointed and scary mother for two hours."

"No need." Hunk looked over were she was sitting. "Lance already scared of you. Your regular look is enough."

"Lance isn't the one I want to embarrass." she provided, turning over a page. "Why do you have to say out loud weird words for things to happen?"

"Oh my gosh" Matt sit up, startling his girlfriend braiding his long hair. "Shiro, you found ally!"

 

***

 

After running away from all of their fans, Keith and Lance ended up in some abandoned building. They were well aware that being there was illegal, the yellow tape they took off was enough of evidence. Despite that, they were still sitting there - on the window sill on the sixth floor, watching festival beneath their feet. Keith's one leg was waving freely over the ledge, while Lance kept both of his safe of concrete inside building. He was sure that he would kill someone with his spit from this height and didn't wanted to risk falling down.

"Well, that was a thing..." was his eloquent comment. "I think we have to get used to crowds wanting to eat us alive."

Keith growled, hugging himself even tighter. Somewhere along their runaway he used his jacket as a decoy, providing them opportunity to hide here - in exchange for freezing and clanging teeth. "I'm never going to get used to it."

"Thought you say so." Lance reached out to him with his arm. "Wanna warm up?"

Without thinking, Keith lurched forward - under Lance arm that wrapped protectively around him. Warmth traveled to him in a second, making chilly night more bearable. Two seconds later fireworks went off. Even if they didn't planned to get here, Keith was thankful because it allowed them the best place to watch colorful kaleidoscope on the night sky. Colors mixing up, like humans and aliens beneath their feet. In the corner of his eye he observed how the light played with the dark skin of Lance - giving his cheekbones new angles or creating new colors in his eyes. As if on cue, Lance looked his way.

"What's there Mullet? Enjoying the view?"

Keith crossed the few inches that were between them, closing his lips with Lance. A startled jolt was the first reaction of Lance, who in no way was expecting such development much less from Keith's side. It took him a second to relax, letting tense shoulders drop as well as eyelids - tilting his head to the side, getting better access. While he had some experience with girls, he still didn't know if it applied to guys too. The true surprise was Keith, who apparently had at least vague idea what he was doing. Lance would ask but then he guessed that Keith also must have participated in Garrison's Spin Bottle Party. Well, he wasn't the one to complain when they both moved their lips alongside - watching out for their teeth. Almost like it belonged to someone else, Lance hand reached out to Keith's face caressing over red scar, only to tangle into his long hair. Lance decided that he didn't felt much difference - mainly because Keith's hair were long enough to resemble girl. So, except Keith brashness everything was like kissing a girl. Lance exhaled internally with relief. There was no need after all to be scared and anxious. He is proud bisexual and he just kissed hot guy. Okay, is being kissed by a hot guy - but still!

He never got to finish his inner monologue, forgetting who was his kissing partner and that there was no way Keith would do something half way. So as he basked in his inner acceptation, Keith swung his arms around Lance's neck - pulling him in closer. Eventually his hands got a handful of brown hair, getting a whelp out of Lance that was a strange mix of hurt, surprise and arousal. He pulled back for a second, catching his breath, before attacking again - this time with his tongue. This time both of them whined at the new sensation. Lance's eyes snapped open in shock, catching a glimpse of Keith's face - upraised, thick eyebrows without any frown between them and flushed cheeks. Whimpering and cursing in Spanish few times in his mind, he drifted away closing his own eyelids - letting Keith do whatever the guy wants with his tongue. And he did fairly good, exploring insides of Lance's mouth drawing little circles on the palate and line of teeth. But some things die hard and Lance competitive sting was one of those thing. Deciding that Keith can't one him up in a matter that he was supposed to rule (even if Lance experience was way poorer than he let people believe) he attacked. And it was like sparring with Keith - he by no means wanted to allow Lance a one hit, aggressively and brutally attacking whenever he could. Fortunately, Lance knew enough tricks and moves to went past his defense, finally reaching his destination inside other's mouth. This was now a hard part - keeping Keith's tongue in check while also searching for the one spot that would cause the guy to moan the loudest. Just like on training deck, he still looked for a way to push him back and gain a control. Unfortunately for him, Lance found the exact spot he needed to not only cause a pathetic, needy moan but also send shivers down Keith's spine. Smirking into the kiss, he pulled by long, dark hair getting back even louder sounds and mark him down as horny, because this was hotter that Red's blaster!

But getting high on success never pays off and soon Keith gained back control over their kiss, with excitement witnessing first hand how Lance was going undone under him and all kind of voices he could make - the one's no one ever witnessed - not to mention all the shivers he could feel traveled through his body.

They eventually pulled away, letting only few centimeters of space, still touching with foreheads and breathing heavily and hot into other's face.

"W-Whoa...T-That was..."

"Yes." Keith send Lance a smirk, observing how purple lights of fireworks changed his face. "It's nice view."

They spend next ten minutes battling with their tongues, with hands pulling hair and jitters of their jewelry. They were only partially aware of faraway sounds of fireworks and people's cheers.

 

***

 

"What the heck happened here?" was the first thing Lance asked witnessing the insides of Shiro's apartment.

The mess he could understand - movie nights had it's own rules and food landing in every creek of couch was a normal thing. He could even excuse an unopened pack of chips dangling from chandelier. Bowls of various content scattered everywhere in different level of filling. Opened can and leaking from there down on the carpet soda also shouldn't be surprising, maybe except the fact it was stacked on top of others cans on Matt's head. Romelle was sleeping  across his legs in position that even Lance - the most flexible among them - put to shame. Did she even had a spine and attached limbs. Allura snored louder, adjusting her head on Romelle's thigh, mumbling 'banana flavored cotton candy'. Pidge slept with her head bend in half over armrest and leg sticking up over back rest, where Kosmo found his place - chewing absentmindedly one of pillows. Hunk looked most alive, laying back on the couch near Shiro - who for some reason had a bunch of drawings over his face. Somewhere in the back Lance noticed white legs - probably belonging to Matt's girlfriend. No Krolia in sight but Coran was weeping wildly at the end credits playing on the screen.

"You didn't watched Matt's movies?" Keith asked, getting in sight all that was displayed in also his apartment.

"We did!" weened Coran, snoozing loudly into handkerchief.

"Why do cry then?"

"Because everyone died! Drama caught me totally unprepared!"

"Right..." Keith deadpanned, remembering every moment when Shiro would say 'I lost half of my brain cells' after coming back from Matt. Kosmo teleported from backrest of couch to his side, snuggling his head against Keith's tight, expecting to be petted. His begs were listened.

"Keith..." familiar voice reached them, as Krolia stood up from behind the couch frantically hiding the book she red. "You're late."

"No, I'm not."

"Shiro!" Krolia smacked the oldest paladin, waking him up with a scream. Most of the party also groaned, accepting that they weren't sleeping but not ready to open their eyes and move. "Back me up!"

"Keith, why are you late?!"

"We're on time." Lance pointed at the clock in the kitchen, clearly displaying that they had ten more minutes to deadline.

"I'm sorry, Lance, but I'm not talking with you." Shiro kept his eyes on Keith, demanding an answer.

"Whoa, that's weird..." Lance mumbled, pulling out of one bowl few peanuts.

"Shiro, I'm on time."

"Then-" marched over, pushing to the side black hair no longer pulled into ponytail. After examining pale neck of her son from every angle, her face dropped down. "No marks?"

"Shiro said I should keep my hands to myself, so I did." Lance provided, putting few more peanuts into his mouth, ignoring the way Keith was looking at him. The guy really wanted to bite and mark him down like an animal. Maybe at fault was his half Galra genetics?

"..." Krolia looked over at Shiro, searching for help. The only thing he provided was a shrug of shoulders, or rather shoulder because his artificial arm was buried somewhere beneath Matt and Romelle. "I hope you've used protection."

"Ugu!" Lance chocked on peanuts, desperately started to hit his sternum with a fist.

"Mom!"

"That's the look I wanted to see!" the women said cheerfully, snapping her fingers, totally unaware of what she accused them. In all Earth movies whenever those words were dropped teen looked devastated.

"Krolia, I don't think you know what that means." Shiro suggested in his most soft voice. "That one you should leave for later."

"Shiro!" Keith send deathly glare at his so-called brother, who innocently picked up mug.

"Go to your room. And I hope that I won't find Lance there next morning."

"Better him in my room than naked man in our kitchen."

"...that was low, Keith."

"I don't want to disturb or anything" Lance, finally freeing himself from deadly peanut, spoke. "but I'll go to my room. Hunk too."

"Yeaaa..." came half muffled answer from the coach. Pidge kicked him in the arm, before getting back to pretending sleep.

"Lonce..." Allura managed through overtaking her sleep. "I'm happy for you. I wish you best..." was all she said before snoring again. Against everything Lance smiled.

"Thanks, Princess."

"Lance!" he turned as Keith called his name, only to be given smooch on the cheek. "Good night."

"...Night."

As fast as he could, he picked up Hunk and dragged him to their room. When his brain got enough blood to circulate, and thus start thinking process, Lance realized what he signed himself into. A crazy, space family of human, Alteans and Galras, not to mention animals with socially awkward boyfriend who could be smooth like silk at times, with surprisingly good tongue skills. And while he still suffers because of Allura, he's happy beyond horizon to have someone who would do anything for him and makes him a better person. Someone who he always needed, even when he didn't realized that. The only problem was his fashion sense, but Lance could work with it.

"Hunk, buddy."

"Muughu?"

"I'm dating Keith. As like Keith Kogane - the stupid mullet guy."

"Cool..."

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, wow.  
> This happened.  
> Okay, please keep toxicity out of comments, I want to stay as clean as possible
> 
> P.S.: I may or may not write part two, we'll see how it'll turn out as well as my life
> 
> Have fun finding easter eggs and references!


End file.
